


This Is What It Feels Like

by queenairi



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Confident Na Jaemin, Fluff, Jaemin And Taeyong Are Brothers, Jaemin's Squad is NCT Dream, Jeno And Ten Are Brothers, Jeno's Squad is WayV, Lee Jeno is Confused, M/M, OT7 NCT Dream, Slow Burn, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2020-08-23 16:21:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 51,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20245762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenairi/pseuds/queenairi
Summary: "Umm, well I..." The guy scratched the back of his neck, actually looking a little shy, to Jeno's surprise, "... actually I wanted to ask you for your number, if that's okay."Oh."Oh." Jeno said dumbly, his eyes widening in surprise.or: Jeno thought he had it all figured out, until a certain boy with a bright smile came into his life and made him think again





	1. Chapter 1

Jeno was contemplating leaving his room through the window. It wasn't that high up, three or four meters, maybe. Worst case scenario, he ends up breaking his legs. That wasn't that bad, right? His inner debate was interrupted by a knock at the door. Well, shit. 

"Ooh, looking good. Where are you going?" his brother asked, opening the door and getting into the room without waiting for Jeno to answer. Jeno wondered why he even bothered knocking. 

"Just to some pub to have a few drinks," he said casually, still standing beside the window awkwardly. His brother, like always, saw right through him. 

"You're going out with them, right? Jen, we talked about this. There's no need to be weird about it. I'm fine with you hanging out with them," Ten sighed, moving to stand in front of Jeno, looking up at him seriously.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to act all weird."

Suddenly an evil grin spread on his brother's face, and Jeno knew he was gonna regret not sneaking out through the window while he still had the chance. 

"You know how you'll make it up to me?" Ten asked, batting his eyelashes innocencently. 

"No, absolutely not. I'm just going for a few drinks, you can do it when I go to a club or something, that-" 

"Please, like you ever go out," Ten scoffed, interrupting his brother's desperate pleads. "Plus, it'll look so good on you. And you've opened some old wounds now, so I'm sad," he added, averting his eyes to the floor, faking a sad expression, and making himself look even smaller in the process. 

Jeno was almost ten centimeters taller than his brother, so whenever he did that, it just emphasized their height difference, making Ten look small and vulnerable. Which was why Jeno couldn't say no to him. So, he just groaned, plopping himself on his bed grumpily. 

"Just please, nothing too visible."

Twenty minutes later, he was standing in the bathroom, checking his face in the mirror while Ten was standing beside him proudly. Okay, he had to admit that it looked good. Ten had only put something dark around his eyes, making them look bigger and more dramatic. He actually liked it, not that he would say it out loud. 

"You like it," Ten sing-songed next to him annoyingly. 

"Yeah, whatever," he mumbled, checking his phone to find that he was supposed to be at the pub ten minutes ago. "Shit. I'm late! See you tomorrow!"

He grabbed his leather jacket and sprinted out of the house, not even bothering to check if his parents were home, cause they usually never were. 

*

An hour later, Jeno was sipping on his beer and half-listening to his friends' conversation. He loved Kun and Doyoung, he really did, but he had to admit the two of them could get very boring whenever they got too immersed in a topic that only they, as politics majors, could find interesting. It was hard to imagine that his brother ever was with one of them.

Ten and Doyoung were complete opposites, like fire and water; his brother being the fire, obviously. And even though Ten never talked to him about it, and Doyoung said very little, Jeno assumed that was one of the reasons they broke up, after two years of being together. 

"So you think they should?" Kun asked with a neutral expression. 

Doyoung sighed, looking annoyed with the other. 

"I didn't say that. I honestly think that even if they withdraw the troops, it wouldn't change anything with the Taliban controlling more territory than at any point since-"

Jeno stopped listening completely. He was well informed, and actually interested in important topics, but this was just too much for a casual night out with friends. So he continued sipping on his beer, looking around the place. It was a nice place, not too big, with dimmed lights and music not too loud, making it perfect for small gatherings. He looked at people chatting animatedly, laughing and having fun. 

Then his eyes fell on a group of guys entering the place. It was hard not to notice them, honestly, since they were walking like they owned the place. Which was a little funny, since they looked like they were even younger than him. 

"Exactly! Only this year, fourteen U.S. troops have died from injuries sustained in the conflict, so-" he caught a glimpse of his friends' conversation, and realized he had no idea what they were talking about. So, he decided to just keep nodding and throw in an occasional "right" or "mhmm" so that it looked like he was listening. They wouldn't even notice he wasn't, anyways. Instead, he continued eyeing the boys, somehow intrigued by their demeanor. He noticed the two of them had dyed hair, which was not very common for boys in his town.

They were now seated at one of the tables, probably deciding on what to get. At this point, Jeno was practically looking through them, zoning out a little. That's why he was startled when he noticed one of the guys was looking directly at him with a slight smirk on his face, and when their eyes met, he smiled at Jeno brightly. Jeno quickly removed his gaze, trying to act like nothing happened, but he couldn't deny he was a little flustered since he was caught staring at the guy.

Jeno was just ready to go back to the conversation with his friends, in an attempt to distract himself, when he heard the sound of yelling from the boys' table. When he looked their way, he noticed that they all looked a little panicked and embarrassed at the same time, gone was their confidence from before. He realized then, they were talking to a waiter, who looked extremely annoyed with them. Jeno wondered what it was all about. 

"I'm going to the bathroom," he informed his friends, who just nodded at him, and started walking to the bathroom, which just happened to be next to the guys' table. He just wanted to see what the problem was, since he was bored and had nothing better to do. 

"...look, if you don't have an ID with you I can't give you an alcoholic drink, so either pick something without alcohol, or get out." He recognized the waiters rather rude voice when he got close enough to hear.

Jeno realized that the guys were probably minors, just confirming his theory from before. He felt a little sorry for them, remembering their embarrassed faces, but it wasn't his problem. Just while he was passing their table he saw that one of the guys, the one that caught him looking, was starting to speak.

"Okay, we're sorry for making a problem, but I'm turning eighteen in like a month, and he really did forget his-" but he was immediately stopped by the waiter who was now looking at the boy with disgust, and yelled: "That's it. Get out, now!"

People from a few nearby tables were staring at them now, and one of the boys looked close to actually crying. Jeno felt really bad for them, and was disgusted with the waiter's behavior, so he just acted on impulse, and the next thing he knew, he was tapping the waiter's shoulder.

"I'll pay for their drinks so it's not a problem, okay?" he asked the waiter, looking at him expectedly. The whole table and the waiter were looking at him now. He knew that he looked kind of scary when he was serious, many people had told him that before. He turned around slowly and was happy to see that the rest of the bar had lost interest in them, and no one really looked their way.

"You know what? That's fine with me," the waiter mumbled, just like Jeno predicted, since he knew he just didn't want to be caught selling drinks to minors, and didn't actually care if they were drinking alcohol.

"That should cover it." He handed the money after inspecting the receipt, and waited for the waiter to leave. The second he was gone, one of the boys found his voice.

"Oh my god, thank you so much, this was so embarrassing. I'm actually eighteen but I really forgot my ID. Not that it matters now. Anyway, we'll pay you back right now," the guy with big, round eyes said, looking at Jeno with an embarrassed smile on his face.

"Oh, it's no problem. He was being a dick to you, and I hate when people do that for no reason. Plus, I just turned eighteen recently, so I know the feeling." He smiled at them, happy he was able to help. 

Jeno took a chance to observe the four guys while they searched for the money to pay him back. The one next to the black-haired boy who just spoke, had a very specific looking features, reminding Jeno of a mouse somehow. He also looked about fifteen. The next one was smaller, with darker complexion and gray hair, and when he looked at his friend, the one with big eyes, Jeno saw he also had a big, boxy smile.

And that left, of course, the one who caught him staring. He was now looking down at his wallet with a small smile on his face. The first thing Jeno noticed was his hair. It was dark blonde, a little longer than his own, and styled perfectly. Jeno felt a pang of jealousy, since he always wanted to dye his hair, but never had the courage to do it. Both his and the gray-haired boy's hair looked really good. He was just about to look away, so the guy wouldn't catch him staring again, when exactly that happened. He lifted his gaze and when he saw Jeno looking at him, he smiled and started talking.

"It's my treat guys, this was my idea after all," he said to his friends while looking at Jeno and handing him the money, "Thank you again, I'm Jaemin, by the way," the boy added, still smiling. Jeno couldn't help but return the smile, since something in the other's smile was contiguous. He did feel a little embarrassed, still.

"Again, it's not a problem. Nice meeting you," he answered while accepting the money, then he turned to the big eyed guy: "Just don't forget to bring your ID next time," he joked. "Well, see you guys," he then added, already starting to move in the direction of the bathroom. 

"Yeah, yeah," the said guy mumbled, looking embarrassed while the rest of them shouted their goodbyes.

Later, when he got back to his table and nearly forgot about the encounter, he suddenly noticed that guy, whatever his name was, looking at him. His look was intense, and Jeno wondered why he was looking at him that way. He smiled at the guy, trying not to make the situation awkward. His hand reached for a cigarette to have something to occupy himself with, only to find his pack empty. He slowly got up, sighing.

"I'm going outside to buy cigarettes. Anyone want to come with?"

"Nope, we're good. Maybe you should ask that kid that keeps staring at you, though," Doyoung answered with a teasing smile on his face.

"Shut up," Jeno said jokingly, already moving away from the table. So, Doyoung noticed it too. Jeno was even more confused now. 

He took a deep breath when he stepped outside, glad to be out of the bar and the smoke-filled air for a few minutes. He went to the closest store and, ironically, asked for cigarettes.

When he got close to the bar, on the way back, he noticed a figure standing in front of it, as if they were waiting for someone. He got closer and the person was now looking straight at him. It couldn't be…

"Hey, I'm sorry for waiting for you like this, I just saw you leaving the bar, and I thought I'd wait up, you know..." the boy from earlier trailed off with a confident smile on his face. Jeno just stood in front of him awkwardly, still surprised by the fact that the boy was waiting for him. 

"Oh, okay, so, what did you want?" Jeno asked, not knowing what else to say. He hoped he didn't come off as rude, since a lot of people said he could look mean when he wasn't smiling. He guessed that the guy just wanted to thank him one more time, but something about the way he looked at Jeno seemed strange in a way. 

"Umm, well I..." The guy scratched the back of his neck, actually looking a little shy, to Jeno's surprise, since he had gotten an impression that it was impossible to be nothing else then confident. "... actually I wanted to ask you for your number, if that's okay."

Oh.

"Oh." Jeno said dumbly, his eyes widening in surprise. He was an idiot, it all made sense now. 

The guy chuckled, although his signature grin faltered for a second, a surprised expression taking its place. 

"Why are you so surprised? I thought I was being obvious," the other boy asked, looking genuinely confused, although still smiling. 

"Right, I'm sorry." Jeno snapped from his daze. He had no idea why he acted that way, the guy probably thought he was weird now. Not that it mattered anyway. "It's just that I'm straight, so…" he trailed off, looking at the guy apologetically. 

This time the smile from the other's face disappeared completely. 

"Shit, really? I'm so sorry, Im usually never wrong about this. And with the makeup-" he cut himself off suddenly, probably noticing Jeno's unsure expression. "Not that I should have judged by that, obviously. Sorry, that was dumb."

It was weird seeing him flustered like that, but Jeno found it kind of intriguing. 

"Hey, it's fine," he said reassuringly, smiling at the guy in hopes of making things a little less awkward for him. 

"Well, this is awkward." Never mind. "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable or anything, I just really thought you were… Well, attractive. And you looked interesting, so I guess I just wanted to get to know you." He paused, looking like he's thinking about something. "This doesn't change anything, though. I still want to, as friends I mean," he offered, smiling again.

Jeno was surprised with just how confident the guy was. Most people would run away after someone rejected them, but this guy apparently wanted to be friends. Jeno did find it a little weird, but at the same time, he found himself feeling strangely comfortable in the other's presence, so he decided to just roll with it.

"Yeah, okay. I'm Jeno, by the way. And you'll have to repeat your name, sorry. I'm not very good with names."

The boy looked satisfied upon hearing this, so he smiled and repeated his name, "It's Jaemin, and it's very nice to meet you," he was now smiling widely at him, and Jeno started wondering if he had made the right choice.

"By the way, are you really eighteen?" Jaemin asked. Jeno nodded, confused with the question, and Jaemin continued: "It's just that you and your friends look a lot older, so I was confused when you said that."

"Oh, no, they are older, actually. But I'm eighteenth, yeah," he finished, unsure of what else to say. 

It got a little awkward after that, since Jeno didn't really know what to say next, and Jaemin just kept staring at him with that smile on his face.

"So, should I give you my number now, or..." Jeno mumbled, just wanting to go inside at this point.

"I have a better idea, why don't you and your friends just join me and my friends now. It didn't exactly look like you were having fun with them anyways," he said as a smirk slowly made its way to his face. Well he wasn't exactly wrong. 

"If the two of them don't have a problem hanging out with a bunch of kids, obviously," Jaemin added, chuckling. 

"Alright, let me just ask them first," Jeno said, moving towards the entrance. "And Doyoung hangs out with me and my friends all the time, so I don't think they'll mind."

"By the way, it really suits you. The makeup," Jaemin said once they were both inside.

Jeno was startled by the sudden comment, but he realized Jaemin probably said it because he looked insecure when Jaemin mentioned it earlier. Jeno appreciated the comment. 

"Thank you. My brother made me wear it, but I actually don't find it that bad now," Jeno answered honestly. 

"Good, because you look great," Jaemin said, winking at him. "Come on, we'll wait for you guys at our table."

With that, he was gone. Jeno stood there for a few seconds, trying to sort out his thoughts. Realizing that he couldn't, he sighed, moving to his own friends, who were now looking at him curiously.

Just what exactly did he get himself into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ice cream ;)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Have you told him you're straight?" 
> 
> "Yes, of course," Jeno said, frowning at his brother. 
> 
> "Then what's the problem? Clearly, he can't take a hint. If you're uncomfortable, he's crossing the line. So just ignore him," Ten shrugged casually. 
> 
> "Well, no, it's not like that. And I'm not uncomfortable. I'm just worried I'm leading him on."

The next morning, not very surprisingly, Jeno woke up with a headache. He got up from his bed very slowly, immediately noticing a glass of water and an aspirin on his night stand. He smiled weakly, reminding himself to thank Ten later. After taking the aspirin and finishing his water, he finally had time to think about the night before.

He remembered the boy that approached him, Jaemin, right, and how confused he has been by his behavior at first. He found it strange how free the boy was, and how he continued being flirty with him even with the way they met. Only to soon realize that that's just how he was with everyone. Jaemin was one of those people who smiled a lot, talked a lot and and touched a lot. And Jeno found that he didn't really mind.

Turned out, Jaemin and his friends were very fun to be around. He even remembered Kun and Doyoung were having fun, Doyoung taking an instant liking on Jaemin, not very surprisingly, since it looked like everyone did.  
He took his phone and was surprised to see it was already twelve thirty, since he never slept this long. Then he noticed he had nine messages. Three of them were from Ten, who said he went to the gym, and then complained about the gym being crowded, one from his mother, telling him that she and his dad went on a business trip, and will be back in a week. And then the rest were from some unknown number. Jeno's heart sped up. He had a weird feeling about that.

+821955531789

3:45  
Hey, I just wanted to say I had a lot of fun with you and I think you're very pretty and cute. And really funny. So I'm happy we met. Ok that's it, sweet dreams. :)

3:46  
I'm SO SORRY! This wasn't me, it was my brother's best friend

3:46  
He wasn't wrong though

9:52  
Okay, I'm sorry again. I get that was a little inappropriate. I admit I don't have the best alcohol tolerance hahah

9:55  
Anyways, sorry

Jeno kept staring at his phone, rereading the messages, not knowing what to think. He suddenly started remembering things from last night. Weirdly, the first thing that popped up was Jaemin’s smile. He had to admit that the boy was very fun to be around, but Jeno couldn't stop the strange feeling from appearing. Maybe he wasn't clear enough, and Jaemin still thought he had a shot. He hated giving people false hope and leading them on, used to always being honest and open with everyone.

"What has you all frowning?"

That’s when Jeno screamed, almost dropping his phone. His brother, who stood on the entrance of his room, started laughing at him.

”Calm down, it's just me. What were you looking at?” he asked, now looking at Jeno with interest.

“When did you walk in? And why are you so quiet?” Jeno asked once he calmed down.

“Like ten minutes ago. I was just standing here and watching you the whole time," Ten deadpanned, looking at Jeno seriously. Jeno just looked at him blankly, still thinking about the messages. "I'm joking! What's gotten you all up in your thoughts?"

Jeno wondered if he should tell him about Jaemin and ask for his opinion. The problem was, Ten will probably make a big deal out of it. And Jeno really didn't want to make a big deal of it. He sighed.

“Seriously, what’s going on?” his brother asked, looking worried all of a sudden. Jeno felt bad for worrying him for no reason. He started getting up from his bed, deciding it was about time to start being productive.

“It’s this guy I met yesterday. He texted me last night, and I don’t know how to respond,” he said honestly, while slowly getting dressed.

“Don’t respond. Always the solution. I mean I’m guessing you just want to get rid of him, right?” his brother asked.

“Not really," he started. Ten looked at him with raised eyebrows, so he quickly explained, rolling his eyes on the process. "Not like that. I want to be friends, he seems like a fun guy. But the problem is, we met when he tried to get my number.”

"Have you told him you're straight?"

"Yes, of course," Jeno said, frowning at his brother.

"Then what's the problem? Clearly, he can't take a hint. If you're uncomfortable, he's crossing the line. So just ignore him," Ten shrugged casually.

"Well, no, it's not like that. And I'm not uncomfortable. I'm just worried I'm leading him on."

"Jen, you worry too much. If you've told him you're straight, of course you're not leading him on," Ten answered, looking at Jeno with a soft expression. "But now I'm interested, who is he? What did he say?"

"Here, just read the messages and tell me what you think," Jeno mumbled, deciding it would be easier if he didn't have to explain the messages himself.

He handed his phone to Ten, the other inspecting it as soon as he took it from his hand.

"That's so cute," he squealed after he was done, returning the phone to Jeno, who now looked at him incredulously. "Anyways," he started when he seemingly got ahold of himself. "Jeno, it's obvious he got the message. He just got a little carried away when he was drunk. He even apologized for that! You're worrying over nothing."

"Yeah, you're right. Plus, he's like really flirty with everyone, so I think he just does it for fun," Jeno reasoned, more to convince himself, then Ten.

"Is he cute?" Ten asked, wiggling his eyebrows annoyingly.

"I don't know. Does it matter?" Jeno asked, looking at his brother exasperatedly. "By the way, it was all your fault. If it wasn't for the makeup, he wouldn't have even approached me."

"See, I told you it looked good," Ten said cheekily.

Jeno scoffed, and Ten suddenly got quiet, sitting on Jeno's bed slowly and looking lost in his thoughts.

"I'm joking, you know I don't mind," Jeno said, after seeing Ten's unsure expression.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I wouldn't have done it otherwise," Ten mumbled, but Jeno could tell he was actually a little relieved.

"Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure we all took a picture last night, let me just find it," he added, suddenly remembering one of the guys, Mark or something, demanding they all took a picture at one point, convincing Jeno to hand him his phone for some reason.

Jeno found the picture and had to pause for a second. In the picture, Jaemin had an arm around his shoulders, head resting on Jeno's shoulder and a huge smile on his face. Jeno was never really touchy with his friends, since none of them were a huge fan of physical affection, so he had to say that he found it a little strange. Ten was a different story, but even he didn't often force affection on Jeno, knowing that the other didn't really like it.

"The one next to me" Jeno said, handing his brother his phone, feeling a little awkward for showing his brother the picture like this.

"Damn Jen, he's cute!" Ten whistled, inspecting the picture closely.

Jeno frowned, thinking about it. He could see that Jaemin was pretty good looking, objectively speaking, but he wasn't really sure about cute.

"I guess," he answered, taking his phone from Ten and shrugging.

Ten sighed next to him. "Why can't you just be gay? You guys look so cute together."

Jeno threw a pillow at Ten, the other ducking and skillfully missing it, while laughing at Jeno teasingly. Jeno just rolled his eyes, walking out of his room to go to the bathroom.

When he finished up, he found Ten sitting in the living room with a textbook in his hand. Jeno watched him awkwardly, suddenly remembering another thing from last night, wondering if it was a good idea to mention it. Ten probably felt his eyes on him, since he lifted his gaze to Jeno, looking at him confusedly.

"Doyoung said hi," Jeno started carefully. "He asked how you were doing."

Ten froze for a second, but composed himself quickly, averting his eyes back to his textbook.

"That was nice of him," was the only thing he said, suddenly seeming very busy with his textbook.

Jeno wanted to say something more, but thought better of it. He wasn't going to force Ten to talk about it, if he didn't want to. He was just worried for his brother, hating to see him hurting like this. He sighed, and went back to his room, knowing the conversation was over.

Later that day, Jeno decided to finally answer Jaemin, but just ignore his drunk messages.

Me:

19:34

Hey, don't worry about it

19:34

I was a little tipsy too, so it's fine hahaha

19:35

It was fun, you and your friends are not so bad

Now that was a lie, since Jeno was actually pretty drunk, not just a little tipsy, but whatever, maybe he just wanted to seem cool.

*

If you asked Jeno why he thought it was a good idea to go to a cram school during summer, he wouldn't have the answer. Well not really, of course he would - he wanted to get into a good college, and all that. It's just that, now, walking home from his four hour long math class, he failed to see how it had been a good idea.

He checked his phone once he got to the bus station, not really surprised when he a saw a message from Jaemin. He hadn't seen Jaemin and his friends since that night, but he has texted Jaemin a lot. Even though he usually didn't like texting all that much, he found texting with Jaemin interesting, and it was a great way to get his mind off school these days. He was, once again, thankful for Jaemin when he read his message.

Jaemin

15:43

Party tonight at my place, I know you need it. You in? Bring whoever you want, obviously :)

Jeno was especially happy since he hasn't gone out in a while, with pretty much all of his friends being in China, visiting Lucas's home, and him being busy with cram school. Now he just needed to find someone who would go with him. He knew he could just go alone, but he didn't feel comfortable going alone to a party where he knew no one except for Jaemin, who was the host, meaning he wouldn't exactly spend a lot of time with him.

Jeno got into the bus, taking a seat by the window. He texted Ten, asking if he wanted to come with, and, just like he predicted, his brother said he was in as long as there's alcohol at the party. Even if he didn't know it for sure, he just told Ten there will be, not wanting to risk it.

*

Jeno could distinctly remember the last time he went to a house party. It was almost a year ago, when Lucas convinced him it would be a good idea to go to a party some senior was throwing, with them being juniors at that time. Jeno had gotten so drunk, he didn't even remember half of the night, finding out he had apparently gotten himself a girlfriend at the party, the next day. He didn't have the heart to tell the girl he didn't even remember her, and it turned out to be a good thing, since they ended up dating for over six months, having broken up just recently. It was a peaceful break up, the two of them agreeing they just weren't right for each other anymore. Him and Yeeun stayed friends after that, still seeing each other sometimes.

And, now, standing in front of a huge house, waiting for Jaemin to open the door, he actually felt a little nervous. He didn't have any of his friends with him, and, knowing Ten, he'll probably get drunk and dissappear somewhere. His trail of thoughts was interrupted when some guy opened the door. What threw Jeno off was the fact that nothing could be heard from inside the house.

"Hey, can I help you guys?" the guy asked, looking between him and Ten confusedly.

"Does Jaemin live here? I don't think I've gotten the address wrong but it doesn't exactly look like there's a party in this house," Jeno said. The guy lifted his eyebrows in surprise.

"Party you say? Hmm, interesting." He then looked like he suddenly understood something, and was a little amused. Jeno was still confused. And when he looked at Ten, it seemed like he was, too. "Jaemin, does, in fact live here. I'm his brother, Taeyong," he continued, now extending his hand with a little smile.

"Oh, nice to meet you, I'm Jeno, and this is my brother, Ten," he shook his hand, answering a little carefully, since he was still confused about the other's strange reaction.

"Come in of course, let me just call Jaemin real quick. Make yourselves at home," Taeyong said, getting lost somewhere in the house. Jeno turned to look at his brother who looked at him with an annoyed expression.

"What? I'm confused, too," he mumbled, looking away from Ten so he could look around. He heard Ten scoff next to him. Whatever, Ten will just have to deal with it.

Jaemin's house was huge, the hallway looked like in one of those houses where you had a giant stairway at the center that split into two sides in the middle. Well, not exactly, but it was close enough. Basically, just the hallway was the size of Jeno's room.

When he turned to Ten again, he found the other staring somewhere to his left with an amused smile on his face. Before he got to ask him what he was staring at, Ten started walking in that direction.

"Hey, need help with that?" Ten asked, laughing at something, or someone, apparently.

Jeno turned around just in time to see a tall guy drop two glasses from his hands to the floor. He was standing at the entrance of what looked like a living room, his back turned to them, probably ready to go inside. Ten started laughing, and Jeno turned to glare at him, not wanting them to come off as rude. The guy turned around and looked at the two of them in shock. Ten stopped laughing, starting to walk towards the guy with an apologetic look on his face.

"Shit, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. You just looked like you needed help," Ten apologized while ducking to pick up pieces of glass from the floor. The guy just stared at Ten wide eyed for a few seconds, before seemingly snapping out of it.

"No, no, please stop cleaning, it was my mistake. Let me just get a broom," the tall guy said, looking around himself a little frantically, as if he was gonna find a broom there. In all that time, Jeno just stood in the middle of the hallway, watching the two with amusement. All of this was interrupted when Taeyong came back, bringing Jaemin with him. They looked like they were discussing something.

"...I know. It's just easier not telling you because then you'd stay and make everyone clean behind themselves and shit like that, and that's a bit annoying," Jeno overheard Jaemin say to his brother.

The second they stepped into the kitchen, they stopped talking. They looked at the scene before themselves in shock. At least, Taeyong did, Jaemin was looking at Jeno, smiling at him apologetically. Jeno looked back at him with a confused expression. He looked away when Taeyong started speaking.

"Johnny, I leave you for two minutes, and this is what happens?" he joked while looking at the other boy with amusement.

"Well, maybe if you told me there were two people in our house, I wouldn't have dropped the fucking glasses," Johnny said, looking annoyed with Taeyong, but it seemed to Jeno like he was actually embarrassed. He saw with his peripheral vision Jaemin holding his hand out to Ten to introduce himself probably. His brother looked at Jeno after and smiled at him. Jeno rolled his eyes.

"Our house?" Taeyong asked, shaking his head, but still smiling. "You're getting way too comfortable here."

"Oh, please. You would die of boredom if I didn't come here…"

Jeno tuned out their bickering, turning to Jaemin in hopes of getting some explanation from him, who then walked to him as soon as their eyes met.

"I'm so sorry. It's just that the party was delayed for eleven because I wanted my brother out of the house. I texted everyone, you probably just didn't see the message. And my brother didn't really know about the party, that's why he acted that way," Jaemin said, looking genuinely sorry. Jeno checked his phone to, of course, see a message from Jaemin. He felt bad, hoping he didn't get Jaemin into trouble just because he didn't check his phone.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I really didn't see it, it was my bad. But your brother doesn't look mad, so what's the problem?" Jeno asked, genuinely confused.

He knew from Jaemin’s messages that Jaemin and his brother got along well, and Taeyong really didn't look mad at all, so Jeno wondered what this whole thing was about.

"Don't get me started," Jaemin said quietly.

"You know what, fine," Taeyong said loudly, having apparently heard them, getting their attention. "I was your age once, so I get that you don’t want me here. So we’ll just go. But the house better be all cleaned up by the time I come back home tomorrow. And if you think-"

Taeyong looked like he was just getting started, but then a nervous looking Johnny interrupted him:

"Ooor, we could just stay, Taeyong. Come on, it'll be fun," he pleaded, looking at Taeyong with big eyes. Then he turned to Jaemin. "And I promise I'll take care of him, so he doesn't bother any of your guests, Nana."

Jeno just looked between the three with a confused expression. And why did the tall guy just call Jaemin Nana?

"You know what happened last time! He was embarrassing me the whole night," Jaemin whined, reminding Jeno how dramatic he could be.

"Stop talking about me like I'm not in the room! And I know how to have fun, I don't need anyone to control me," Taeyong said.

Jeno started feeling a little awkward, feeling like he shouldn't be here. He turned to look at Ten, but the other was just staring at Johnny. Interesting. Jeno looked at Jaemin, who was now looking at his brother intensely, like he was trying to read him.

"Fine, whatever. You can stay, but please try not to be annoying," he said after a good minute of just staring at Taeyong, who just nodded. Jaemin sighed and turned to look at the rest of them. "So what are we gonna do now? We have at least an hour before the party."

“I say we start drinking,” Johnny said, already starting to drag Taeyong somewhere to their right, towards what was supposed to be the kitchen, but was almost bigger than Jeno's entire house. Jeno took his time in following them, actually wanting to look around.

The house was beautiful. Everything was in warm colors, and there were so many windows everywhere, making the place look even warmer. Jeno turned his head towards the kitchen, only to see Jaemin slowly approaching him, and then standing next to him.

"You look good," he said with a small smile, "I like the color."

Jeno looked at him. He was wearing a bright orange hoodie that Jeno thought would probably look ridiculous on anyone else, but he was kinda pulling it off. He smiled cause he was wearing an orange shirt Ten insisted looked good on him, although it was a more subtle shade of orange, so they were pretty much matching.

"Thanks. You look pretty decent, too," he joked. Jaemin just smiled brightly. He looked around once again. He was pretty sure there was a pool in the backyard, even though he couldn't see it clearly from where they were standing. He wondered how on earth could he and his brother afford this. "Your house is beautiful by the way. You said it's just the two of you here, right?"

"Thank you. Yep, it's just me and Taeyong, well Johnny too, more often than not," he said, rolling his eyes, but smiling fondly. "We actually inherited this place from our grandparents, and since Taeyong came here for college, I came with him."

Jaemin now had a small smile on, looking a little lost in his thoughts. From his messages Jeno gathered that they were very close, him and his brother. He wondered why they were now fighting over something as stupid as this. He didn't want to pry in his personal stuff, though. But it wasn't like Jaemin would get mad if he asked.

"Oh, that's nice. But why is it so bad that he's staying? He seems alright with the party," Jeno asked, genuinely confused.

"You’ll see what I’m talking about once people start trashing the house. But, it is what it is,” Jaemin sighed.

"At least someone's happy they’re here," he said after a while, looking towards the kitchen with a small smile. Jeno frowned, but understood what he was talking about the second he looked at the kitchen. His brother was laughing loudly at something the tall guy was saying, hitting his arm in the process. Jeno smiled.

“They look kinda cute. Who is he anyway? Johnny, was it?” He was getting invested now, since he really thought there was a chance that this guy could be Ten's type.

“Yes, Johnny's my brother’s best friend and practically my second brother. And judging by the fact that he already dropped something, chances are, he's interested in your brother," Jaemin laughed.

"I say we do something about it!" Jeno exclaimed, turning to look at Jaemin.

"Ooh, I like the sound of that," Jaemin said excitedly, winking at Jeno and then moving towards the kitchen.

"Guys I know what we'll do until the party," he said to the three people standing in the kitchen. Jeno followed him and went straight to Ten who was, of course, standing next to Johnny.

“What? Oh, we can play one of those drinking games. I have a few on my phone,” Johnny said very excitedly.

“Really? I do too. That’s a really good idea actually," Ten added just as excitedly. Jeno looked between them, and then at Jaemin, who was already looking at him, while smirking slightly.

“Well, I actually meant truth or dare. I think it’ll be fun, since we don’t know each other very well. Who’s in?” Jaemin said with a sly smirk. Jeno didn’t know what that had to do with bringing them together, but he guessed it had to do something with a really stupid dare Jaemin thought of.

Everyone nodded at his suggestion, not very thrilled with the idea, but at least not opposed. At that moment the doorbell rang. Jeno was hoping it was more people who didn't check their phones, thinking he couldn't be the only one.

“Okay, I’ll get this and you guys bring all the drinks and snacks into the living room,” Jaemin said, already running towards the door.

Jeno turned around and walked to the fridge to find something he could bring to the table, wanting to be useful. He opened the fridge door and saw a bunch of food clearly prepared for the party. He slowly took out two plates and started struggling to close the door. Suddenly the door was being shut and he saw Taeyong standing in front of him.

“Need help?” he asked, smiling at Jeno politely.

“Oh, thanks. Yeah, you can just take this small one, I'll handle the rest,” Jeno smiled back. Taeyong took the plate from Jeno's hand, and started walking towards the door. Jeno followed after him.

“So, how do you know Jaemin? I haven't seen you before.” Taeyong asked.

“Well, we met in this bar a few weeks ago." Jeno wondered if he should explain further, thinking how Taeyong is probably gonna get the wrong idea.

“That’s nice,” Taeyong said with a small smile.

Jeno sighed, accepting the fact that Taeyong now thought he was Jaemin’s new date. He didn't know what else to say to not make things even more awkward.

Luckily, in that moment they walked into the living room where the rest were, including the new additions to their little group. He immediately recognized the three guys from that night when he wet Jaemin - Mark, the big eyed, hyper one, Donghyuck, the funny one with silver hair, and Jisung, the awkward one, who was also the youngest as he learned.

They waved at him excitedly, and Jeno waved back and smiled at them. And then he noticed the two guys he didn’t know. One looked kind of serious and intimidating, while the other looked like a kid compared to him, and was practically smiling from ear to ear.

“Hi, I’m Chenle, nice to meet you,” said the younger one. His eyes practically disappeared when he smiled at Jeno.

“Jeno, nice to meet you, too," he said, smiling at the other brightly. He realized it was probably impossible not to smile when you talked to him.

“Hey. Jaehyn,” the other one extended his hand towards Jeno, flashing him a smile, his dimples showing in the process, making him look a lot less intimidating. Jeno concluded he was probably one of Taeyong and Johnny's friends since he looked older then the rest.

“Jeno,” he said, shaking his hand back.

“Okay, now that everyone met, shall we start?” Jaemin asked, already getting on the floor, where the pillows were arranged in a circle, a bottle of tequila in the center of it. Everyone agreed, getting down on the floor. Jeno sat between Taeyong and Ten. When they all took their seats on the pillows, Jaemin, who was seated directly across from him, started talking again.

“So, we’ll just go in a circle and each of us will choose truth or dare, with a twist that every time you chose truth, you’ll have to take a shot of tequila. And if you decide not to do the dare, you’ll have to down a whole can of beer in one go. Mark can go first. So, truth or dare?”

“Man, why does it have to be me first?” he asked, laughing a little too loud. Jeno remembered how energetic and loud he was. “Alright, let’s make it fun. Dare!”

The rest of the guys started exchanging glances, and Jisung and Chenle started whispering something and laughing uncontrollably. Then Jisung turned to Jaemin and whispered something to him, and Jaemin shook his head like he was disagreeing with something.

Jeno watched them curiously, not understand anything. He looked around the circle, Mark was leaning to his right where Jaemin was, trying to hear what they were talking about. Beside him, Donghyuck was looking a little awkward, keeping his gaze on his hands that were in his lap. Jeno wondered what that was all about. And then Ten and Johnny, who were whispering something, but Jeno doubted it had anything to do with Mark's dare.

“Okay, I have one!” Jaemin broke the silence. “You have to take a picture with your shirt off, holding one bottle of vodka in each hand and upload it to instagram with the caption - I'm so young, I'm so freaky."

The room erupted with laughter, and Jeno joined in, turning to look at Mark's now red face. Jeno wondered where did he even come up with that caption.

“Oh come on, let me live, I was twelve when I wrote that,” Mark whined, looking at Jaemin pleadingly. Oh, so that's where.

“That doesn’t make it better at all,” Chenle added, laughing loudly. It reminded Jeno of the sound dolphins make.

“But isn’t that something Mark would do anyway?” Donghyuck asked, and everyone started laughing again.

“Whatever,” Mark mumbled, already getting up and taking his shirt off, just proving Donghyck right. He handed the phone to Donghyuck, and took his pose. After the picture was taken, and everyone stopped cringing, they continued the game.

"Let's see. Hyuck?" Mark asked, looking at the other expectedly.

"Truth. I don't think there's anything about me you don't know, anyways," Donghyuck said with a teasing smile.

"Well, think again," Mark said with a smirk. Donghyuck's smile faltered a little. "Have you ever kissed anyone in this room?"

Donghyuck looked surprised for a second, but then smirked, downing his shot while keeping his eyes on Mark.

"Yes."

Mark looked at him with wide eyes, not even trying to hide his shock. Jeno looked between them with amusement, remembering how they bickered the first time he saw them.

"I knew it! Who was it?" he asked a little hurriedly.

"That's a different question. You only got one," Donghyuck said, sticking out his tongue at Mark. Mark huffed, throwing a pillow at him.

"Fine, it was Jaemin. We fooled around a little in first year while we were still figuring things out," Donghyuck said after a few seconds.

Something tightened in Jeno's stomach. For some reason, he felt weird hearing that. Not that he had a problem because they were both guys, of course. His brother was gay, after all, so it obviously didn't bother him. But then again, his brother never told him anything in detail about the guys he's been with. Oh god, maybe he was a little homophobic. He decided to just push it away, deeming it was probably normal for a guy to feel weird after hearing something like this.

Mark turned to glare at Jaemin, who just threw him an apologetic smile. The rest of the guys just shrugged, looking as if they expected it or something. Jeno just sat there awkwardly, hoping his expression didn't show that he ft weird.

“And, for old times sake, I'm going with Nana!” Donghyuck exclaimed loudly. “So?”

Jaemin looked like he was debating his options very seriously. Jeno found it funny.

“I’m goona go with truth since I don’t trust any of you," he said after a good minute of silence, pouring tequila in the glass and downing it. Donghyuck smiled with a strange look in his eyes.

“Is that so? Alright then, I wanna know if you are interested in someone right now?” Donghyuck looked at him daringly. Jaemin shifted in his seat, looking uncomfortable. Then his eyes met Jeno's briefly, but he quickly looked away. Jeno felt heat creeping up to his face for some reason.

“Nope,” Jaemin said, looking at Donghyuck pointedly. Donghyuck just snickered next to him, and Jaemin scowled at him.

"I should have let Chenle and Jisung go with their dare for Mark," he mumbled to himself, but it seemed like Donghyuck heard him, since the smile dropped from his face for a second.

“Ok, now me. Let’s see. Ten, truth or dare?” Jaemin asked. Jeno shifted in his seat, turning to his brother.

Ten was so invested in something Johnny was telling him, that he didn’t even register he was being talked to. Jeno nudged him with his elbow. Ten turned around, widening his eyes in surprise, probably for seeing everyone looking at him expectedly.

“What, me?” he asked, surprise evident on his face. “Okay, dare, I guess?”

Jeno looked at Jaemin to find him already looking at him. Jaemin started giving him some signals with his eyes he, obviously, couldn't decipher. Jeno guessed he wanted them to think of something together. Jeno thought about it for a second.

“You could maybe sit in the lap of a person to your right, and stay there till the end of the game. Just a random suggestion,” he said, raising his hands in defense, knowing that his brother would kill him. Ten looked at him with venom in his eyes.

“Well, I guess I’ll drink. I don’t wanna make anyone uncomfortable,” Ten mumbled and smiled awkwardly, avoiding looking at Johnny, who was, obviously, the one on his right.

“Come on, you said you don’t even like beer. It’s no big deal,” Johnny said confidently, pulling Ten to his lap not so gently. Ten almost fell, but Johnny caught him in the last second. Everyone was chuckling quietly. Jaemin gave him the thumbs up. After he settled in Johnny’s lap, Ten shot Jeno his deadliest stare, which was pretty scary. This wasn't good.

“Alright, Jeno, you know what to do,” he said smiling at Jeno scarily. Jeno swallowed nervously, he knew Ten would make him do something he really didn't want to, possibly even get Jaemin involved. And since he wanted to escape that situation, there was only one thing to do.

“What do you think? Truth, of course," he scoffed. He wasn’t gonna let his brother get his revenge. Plus, he was only doing Johnny and him a favor.

“Okay, coward,” his brother mocked while handing him a shot. Well, a glass to be more precise, but Jeno just decided to just drink it, not want to come of as a party killer. His brother nodded, obviously satisfied after Jeno finished the class, and continued.

"Okay, who do you think is the most handsome in this room?"

Jeno raised his eyebrows at him, but Ten just smiled at him innocently. Jeno looked around the room, wondering what he should say. At the end, he decided to just go with the truth.

"I don't know. Jaemin, maybe?"

Everyone was looking at him, and a few muffled laughs were heard. Jeno felt annoyed for some reason, not understanding why everyone was making such a big deal out of this. He wanted to smile at Jaemin, not wanting the situation to seem awkward or anything, but when he looked at him, Jaemin quickly looked away.

"Okay, I chose Jisung," he said, wanting to shift everyone's attention to something else.

It seemed to work, cause in the next moment, everyone was discussing what dare they should give the boy. Jeno relaxed a little, wondering why he even felt uncomfortable at the first place. Again, he just decided to ignore it, and try to enjoy the night.

By the time Jisung finished his dare, which resulted in him and Donghyuck, for some reason, dancing to some annoying kpop girl song, it was already ten minutes to eleven, so they all decided to stop there and get the place ready for the party. Jeno watched Ten and Johnny stand up and awkwardly smile at each other. He chuckled, thinking how Jaemin might have known what he was doing after all.

It was when they almost put everything on a huge table in the living room that the bell rang, announcing that the first people were there. Mark jumped from where he was sitting with Donghyuck and yelled:

“Let’s get it!”

Everyone rolled their eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cuz when we jumping and popping, we jopping


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It’s not that weird,“ Jaemin mumbled with a slight pout on his lips.
> 
> Jeno had to smile at that, finding pouting Jaemin way cuter than he should have. This time, he had to admit that he really doesn’t remember how he ended up here. Neither does he remember just how many shots of tequila he had had. Which was probably a bad sign. But Jeno found that he didn't really care, since he was having a great time. Probably the best in a while, if he was being honest. 
> 
> He tried focusing on the other's face, finding it harder than he thought it would be. Jaemin was looking at him with a small smile Jeno couldn't really decipher. Or maybe he could, but didn't want to. He glanced down at his glass, searching for something to occupy himself with, finding it empty. 
> 
> “I don’t know about that. But I do know I need a drink. Come on,” Jeno said, getting up from where he was sitting.

Jeno was confused. Well, not that confused, but definitely surprised. He didn't exactly expect Jaemin’s party to be this big and chaotic, which, now that he thought about it, he definitely should have. It was only logical that Jaemin’s party would be this huge, Jeno probably just forgot what house parties looked like, since he and his friend group almost never went to them.

He found that he was actually having fun, which was also something he wasn't sure about, with him not knowing many people there. And from what it seemed like, everyone else was having fun, too. There were approximately fifty people scattered all around the house, and even the backyard, where, as expected, was a pool. Jeno was sipping on his third or fourth can of beer while talking to some people he didn’t even know the names of. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t know how he got there, because he did.

He had lost Ten about an hour ago, and after what he referred to as “the bedroom incident” decided not to look for him again. The bedroom incident happened when Jeno went to the second floor bathroom, since the one downstairs had been occupied. Coming back from the bathroom, and walking down the empty hallway, he heard his brother's laughter coming from behind one of the doors. He decided to check up on him, and just got ready to open the door, when he heard Johnny saying: “Johnny's fashion evaluation” pretty loudly, and decided against it. God knows what they were doing inside, and Jeno certainly didn’t want to find out.

Jaemin, on the other hand, went to the store with his brother and Jaehyun to get more alcohol, since people apparently already drank all there was, which was a little disturbing, since Jeno saw how much there was - a lot. And lastly, he had no idea where the rest of the guys were. That’s how he found himself in this situation, talking to a guy and a girl about some TV show they all apparently liked. Just when he was in the middle of saying how annoying the main character was, someone grabbed him by the hand and pulled him away from the group.

He turned to see who it was, startled, and found a grinning Donghyuck with glazed eyes in front of him. He smiled to the other hesitantly, and then turned to the girl and waved at her apologetically. He heard Donghyuck yell from behind him: “Sorry Lisa, I have to borrow him for a second.” The girl laughed and nodded her head, waving them off.

“What’s up?” Jeno asked awkwardly after directing his attention back to Donghyuck.

He didn't really feel awkward with the other, but he still didn't know him very well, and was never alone with him before. So, he was a little confused by Donghyuck suddenly pulling him away. The other boy paid him no mind, continuing to pull him towards the living room. When he found a relatively empty spot on one of the couches, he sat down, moving his hand away from Jeno's when he joined him on the couch.

“I was so bored with Mark, Jisung and Chenle, they were just sitting and talking about boring stuff. At one point, they even started talking about philosophy, and that’s when I had enough. Luckily, then I saw you, and decided you got to be more fun than that,” Donghyuck explained in one breath, speaking loudly over the music, and Jeno was now sure he was drunk, since he stumbled over every other word. Well, maybe not that drunk, but extremely tipsy for sure.

Jeno nodded, understanding Donghyuck completely. Maybe he related to him that much, cause the last few times he went out, it was with Kun and Doyoung, who also had a habit of eventually drifting to boring topics. So, he smiled at Donghyuck reassuringly, deciding to relax and just let go with the other, since Donghyuck was certainly the type you could do that with.

They kept talking and laughing for a while, and Jeno was reminded of how funny the other boy was, not being able to stop laughing since they started talking. After a while, they decided to go to the kitchen to grab drinks. Right in front of the kitchen, they ran into some guy Donghyuck apparently knew, since he started hugging him as soon as he saw him.

“Renjun, you came!” Donghyuck practically yelled in the guy’s ear. Jeno noticed how the guy somehow looked both annoyed and glad to see Donghyuck at the same time. He gently pushed Donghyuck away, rolling his eyes in the process.

“Hey Hyuck! I see that you already started drinking,” he said with an amused smile on his face, and then turned to look at Jeno, giving him a small smile. “And you must be Jeno. I’m Renjun, nice to finally meet you.”

Jeno was a little surprised that the guy already knew who he was, but decided to just ask Donghyuck about it later. So he smiled back, although a little reluctantly. “Yes, that’s me, nice to meet you as well.”

Donghyuck coughed from somewhere behind him, probably bored and wanting some attention. Renjun turned to him and smiled again.

“Actually, Jaemin has been looking for you two for some time now. And when I say you two, I mean just Jeno, really," he said with a teasing smile. Jeno raised his eyebrows at that, not knowing what Renjun was getting at. The other continued, not paying him any mind. "Anyways, he’s in the kitchen with the others. You guys better go and let them know you’re alive. Mark will be glad too, since he's also been looking around for a certain someone the whole night.”

He winked at Donghyuck, who just mumbled something in return, looking a little flustered. Jeno was only mildly surprised, since he noticed some strange tension between the two practically since he met them. He decided to stay quiet about it though, since it wasn’t really his business. After they said goodbye to Renjun, Donghyuck immediately started dragging Jeno towards the kitchen again. Jeno really hoped they would find the others in the kitchen, cause he didn’t know how much longer he could deal with drunk Donghyuck on his own.

“That was Jaemin's best friend, by the way. That’s why he knew who you were. God, poor thing, if Jaemin talked about you a lot with us, I can only imagine what he has gone through,” Donghyuck snickered, and then abruptly stopped, probably realizing what he said.

Jeno froze, feeling a little uncomfortable with Donghyuck's comment. It wasn't like he minded, he was aware that Jaemin had been interested in him or whatever, he just didn't get why the others were mentioning it all of the time. He didn't know what to say to the other, so he just smiled awkwardly and kept walking. It didn’t take long for them to find the others, thanks to a certain dolphin like laughter that filled the room as soon as they stepped in. Upon seeing them, Jeno started walking towards the table where Chenle, Jisung, Jaemin, Mark and a few people he didn’t recognize sat at.

„Hey losers, I sure hope the atmosphere is better than it was when I left, otherwise, I’m literally going home,” Donghyuck exclaimed while squeezing in between Mark and Chenle.

Everybody rolled their eyes at Donghyuck’s antics, and Mark moved to the side, making place for him. The table they sat around of was huge, one of those big dining tables. Jeno looked around, searching for an empty seat. Chenle and Jisung waved at him as soon as they saw him, and Mark greeted him before he was distracted by a clingy Donghyuck who started hugging him and whispering something in his ear. Jeno chuckled to himself. He noticed Jaemin on the other side of the table, where he was talking with some guy he didn’t recognize. And then Jaemin looked up at him, probably sensing his eyes on him, and smiled brightly.

“Hey, I was looking everywhere for you. Come, sit here,” Jaemin yelled over the music, pointing at the chair next to him. Jeno smiled back, moving to sit where Jaemin pointed.

“Thanks. I was with Donghyuck for some time. He sure is a lot when he drinks. But it was fun,” Jeno said when he sat down.

“Oh god, I hope he didn’t bother you that much. I know how clingy he can be,” Jaemin laughed.

Jeno turned to him, observing him closely. He ditched the orange hoodie, instead wearing a basic black shirt. Jeno's eyes then trailed to his face, and he found Jaemin beaming at him brightly. His eyes sparkled with something Jeno couldn’t exactly decipher. He also had some makeup on, witch made his eyes pop out even more. Jeno had to admit that Ten might know what he was talking about after all. Then Jeno realized Jaemin’s lips are moving, and that he was asking him something.

“Sorry, could you repeat that? The music is pretty loud so I couldn’t…” he trailed off kind of awkwardly.

Jaemin gave him an amused smile and pointed at the guy besides him who looked at Jeno with a knowing smile. Right, he forgot Jaemin was talking to someone when he came. Jeno smiled at the guy politely, hoping the other would stop looking at him that way, since it made him a little nervous.

“I said this is Jungwoo, he's my good friend,” Jaemin said and leaned back so Jeno could see the guy properly.

“Hi, I’m Jeno,” he said, shaking the guy’s hand. Jeno was relieved when he noticed the other stopped with the creepy staring. He still looked at Jeno like he knew something he didn't, and Jeno didn't like it. “What were you guys doing?”

“Nothing, just talking really. Jungwoo just came back from China so he was telling me about his trip. Do you want me to get you a drink? I see that you don’t have a glass,” Jaemin asked, frowning at Jeno's empty hand.

“Okay, just grab me a beer or something,” Jeno said, not really wanting a drink, but also not wanting to come off as rude and decline Jaemin’s offer.

When Jaemin left, he turned to Jungwoo, already thinking of questions he could ask him, so it wouldn’t be awkward. But then he noticed Jungwoo was looking somewhere on the other side of the table with an unreadable expression. He turned to look in that way, and was met by a sight of a clearly drunk girl giggling loudly in Mark’s lap and then whispering something in his ear. Jeno immediately noticed Donghyuck looking incredibly stiff beside them. Half of the table quieted down, awkwardly looking at them. Jeno suddenly felt really sorry for Donghyuck. A soothing voice next to him snapped her out of her thoughts.

“Don’t worry about him too much. At the end of the night, Mark would probably be the one sulking, since Donghyuck will try to make him jealous as usual. It’s normal for them,” Jungwoo said, chuckling lightly.

“Oh, I didn’t want to say anything cause it’s not my place. But I don't get it, they like each other, right?” Jeno asked, not wanting to jump into conclusions by himself, but he still pretty much figured it out by now. He watched Mark as he awkwardly tried to remove the girl from his lap, with no luck, since the girl looked like she didn't even notice he was struggling.

“Oh, yeah, everybody knows that. Even they do, but just pretend they don't. You see, Mark and Donghyuck have been best friends since they were kids, so I think it’s hard for them both to distinguish romantic love from the one you feel for your friend,” Jungwoo answered thoughtfully.

Jeno hummed in agreement, thinking Jungwoo's words over. It made sense really, he imagined it would be a hard thing to realize when you've known someone your whole life. Still, he really hoped they will work it out soon.

“What are you two watching?” Jaemin asked, sliding back to his chair and extending a shot glass towards Jeno.

Jeno looked at it with raised eyebrows.

"I couldn't find the beer, sorry. Anyways, I brought you tequila since that’s what you drank earlier, but I could bring you something else, if you want,” Jaemin said with an apologetic expression.

Jeno thought about it for a second, he didn’t really want to drink something strong, but he also didn’t want to bother Jaemin again, so he just shrugged, taking the shot glass in his hand.

“No, it’s fine. Thanks.” He smiled at Jaemin.

“Hey, where's my drink?” Jungwoo whined jokingly. Or at least Jeno thought he was joking, it wasn't that easy to tell with Jungwoo.

“I don’t care about you, go get it yourself,” Jaemin answered, not even sparing him a look. Then he shifted his attention to the scene that was still playing in front of them.

“It has already started, I see. At this point, I just hope it’ll end up better than last time. I don’t think any of us want to take care of crying Mark again. It’s too sad,” Jaemin sighed, looking at the scene in front of them with a sad expression.

Jeno started wondering just how serious the whole Mark and Donghyuck situation was. It all seemed pretty dramatic. He watched Mark just sit there looking incredibly uncomfortable while still smiling awkwardly at the girl, who on the other hand, seemed oblivious and pretty into him. Jeno was guessing Mark was just too nice to turn her down, but it was more than obvious he wasn’t interested in her. None of that seemed to matter to Donghyuck, though, who now looked angry, glaring at his phone and quickly moving his fingers over it, probably texting someone.

“Fine, I’ll do it since no one else is going to,” Jungwoo said, sighing dramatically. He turned to the pair and shouted: “Sarah, stop embarrassing yourself, he’s just too nice to tell you he’s not interested.”

Everyone started laughing, and Mark looked at Jungwoo with horror in his eyes. The girl just rolled her eyes and turned to Mark again. Jeno felt bad for her, thinking how that wasn’t very nice of Jungwoo. He turned to him, ready to say something, but Jungwoo interrupted him before he could even begin.

“Don’t look at me that way. She deserved it, I wouldn’t do it if she didn’t. She’s really rude to Donghyuck cause she has a thing for Mark, but that shouldn’t be an excuse. She said some pretty mean things to him, and Hyuck doesn’t want Mark to know, cause the idiot thinks Mark’s actually interested in her. Point is, she had it coming,” Jungwoo said, putting his hands up in defense. At that moment someone from behind shouted Jungwoo's name, and the boy excused himself, running off in the direction the voice came from.

“He seems fun,” Jeno told Jaemin as soon as the boy left their sight. Jaemin chuckled and then suddenly lifted his glass, gesturing for Jeno to do the same.

“Okay, I think it’s time to have some fun.” Jaemin’s eyes twinkled with excitement as he looked at Jeno. Then he leaned his head back, closed his eyes and took a shot. Jeno sighed and followed his lead.

*

“I’m just saying, pizza tastes so much better if you drink coffee with it,” Jaemin said matter-of-factly, before talking another bite of his slice of pizza.

Jeno laughed, throwing his head back. The two of them were sitting in the backyard, loud screams and voices surrounding them. It was anything but peaceful, but Jeno was having a good time. He found it strange that Jaemin chose to spend time talking to him, when this was his party, but he was glad.

“What sane person mixes those two together?” he wondered out loud, looking at Jaemin with his eyebrow raised.

“It’s not that weird,“ Jaemin mumbled with a slight pout on his lips.

Jeno had to smile at that, finding pouting Jaemin way cuter than he should have. This time, he had to admit that he really doesn’t remember how he ended up here. Neither does he remember just how many shots of tequila he had had. Which was probably a bad sign. But Jeno found that he didn't really care, since he was having a great time. Probably the best in a while, if he was being honest.

He tried focusing on the other's face, finding it harder than he thought it would be. Jaemin was looking at him with a small smile Jeno couldn't really decipher. Or maybe he could, but didn't want to. He glanced down at his glass, searching for something to occupy himself with, finding it empty.

“I don’t know about that. But I do know I need a drink. Come on,” Jeno said, getting up from where he was sitting.

Jaemin smiled brightly and followed his lead. Jeno ended up grabbing him by the hand once they got inside, since the crowd was huge, making it impossible not to get separated unless they stayed close. Jaemin took his hand eagerly, following Jeno closely.

“Oh, I like it when you’re being rough with me,” Jeno heard Jaemin say jokingly in his ear. Jeno tensed up a little, not used to comments like those from other guys. It wasn't like he minded, especially not from Jaemin, since he knew the other liked to joke that way, he just wasn't expecting it. He convinced himself he was thinking things through way to much, deciding to just play it off. He turned around and lifted an eyebrow at Jaemin.

“Keep that up, and I’ll let everybody know you wrote a letter to Kai when you were thirteen begging him for tips on how to become an idol.”

“I told you that in confidence!” Jaemin gasped, mocking being shocked and putting a hand over his heart.

Jeno laughed and continued walking towards the kitchen, only this time, he didn’t grab Jaemin’s hand. As soon as they stepped inside they were met by at least ten pairs of eyes staring at them. A group of people stood by in a circle and seemed to be discussing something pretty loudly before they came in. Jeno then saw that his brother was one of them. Ten immediately called them over by waving at them.

“What is happening here?” Jeno asked, looking around with interest. He also wanted to ask Ten where he had been the whole night, but upon seeing his messy hair and crumpled clothes, decided against it. Instead he just said: “We’re talking about that later,” pointing to the state he was in.

“That’s a little funny coming from you,” his brother laughed, looking at Jaemin pointedly. Jeno wanted to protest, but Ten just cut him off. “Anyways, you actually came just in time. We’re about to play beer pong, only with vodka instead of beer, and now we’re deciding on teams. Wanna join?” he asked with mischief in his eyes.

“Hell yeah!” Jaemin exclaimed before Jeno could say anything.

Not that he would have protested really, but this way it seemed like he didn't even have a choice. He sighed, nodding his agreement. They played a quick game of rock, paper, scissors to determine the teams and started the game. Jeno ended up being in a team with Mark, Chenle, Jisung and a girl named Hyejoo, while the other team consisted of Ten, Johnny, Jaemin and Renjun. Just when they were starting the game, a loud, sharp sound was heard, which had drawn everyone’s attention. In the entrance of the kitchen stood Donghyuck, giggling and leaning on some boy Jeno didn’t know. There was a broken glass in front of him. Donghyuck looked very drunk, which couldn't have been good.

“Hey, what are you guys playing? Can we join?” asked the guy Donghyuck came with. He also seemed very drunk, but in a better state than Donghyuck, at least. Jeno could practically feel the tension in the air. Nobody said anything for a while until Mark broke the silence.

“You both look like you don’t need any more alcohol. And who are you anyway?” he asked, somehow managing to look both annoyed and hurt at the same time. Luckily, Jaemin was quick to intervene.

“Of course you can play. Donghyuck you join the other team, and…,” he looked at the other guy pointedly.

“Hyunjin.” The boy smiled widely at him. At least he seemed nice.

“…Hyunjin, you can join our team,” Jaemin continued. Everyone seemed to agree with that, until Donghyuck’s whine broke the silence.

“No, I wanna play with Jinnie. We’ll just both join your team since there's less of you.” Donghyuck was pulling the other boy’s arm, getting him to move towards the other side of the table. Jeno sighed and practically felt Mark tensing up next to him. He felt like this was going to be a long game.

The whole time they were playing, Mark shot daggers at Hyunjin, who seemed to have no idea what was going on. Donghyuck was barely even playing, choosing to spend his time curling up to Hyunjin instead. The only good thing was that at least his team was winning because of that. The fact that most of the people from the other team were drunk probably helped a little, too.

Ten and Johnny weren’t even trying; they were mostly giggling between themselves and losing on purpose so they could drink. The only ones that were invested in the game were Renjun and Jaemin, who were trying really hard to turn the score around. If Jeno was being honest, the only real reason his team was winning was because of Hyejoo, who turned out to be a very precise thrower. At one point, Jisung and Chenle left the game, saying they wanted to go swimming in the pool.

Jeno guessed Mark only stayed because he wanted to keep an eye on Donghyuck, since he didn’t really seem interested in the game, either. That proved to be right when Donghyuck announced that he was bored, so that he and Hyunjin were leaving, and Mark went away seconds later. Then Ten started whining how he wanted to go outside, so naturally, him and Johnny left as well. That only left Jeno and Hyejoo against Jaemin and Renjun.

“Okay, now the real game begins. Jaemin and I have never lost a game, and this is not gonna be our first one,” Renjun said, looking pretty determined for a guy who was talking about beer pong. Jaemin looked at Jeno and shrugged his shoulders. Next to Jeno, Hyejoo started laughing.

“Look, there’s no way in hell you’re beating us. Jeno and I can easily win, right?” She winked at Jeno, then grinned.

Jeno grinned back. He didn't really care about the game, but he had to admit that he started feeling slightly competitive, since he was having more fun then he thought he would.

“Damn right!” he exclaimed, giving Hyejoo a high five.

The game ended up being pretty intense, with both teams being pretty good. Jeno actually surprised himself, since he had no idea he was that good at the game. Hyejoo was a pretty great partner too. Not only was she really good at the game, but she was also a very fun person to be around. The whole time she was making Jeno laugh with her comments, and she also seemed to be pretty chill about the game, despite her earlier attitude, which Jeno liked. Then suddenly, Renjun decided to make a new rule.

“I think we need a tie breaker. I say, whoever misses this time, has to finish the bottle in one go. And we’re going for the furthest cup. What do you say?”

Renjun seemed way too confident, and Jeno didn’t like it one bit. He looked at the bottle of vodka at the center of the table. There wasn’t that much liquid in it, but since it was vodka, everything was too much. Not to mention how he was already more than tipsy, and didn't really need more alcohol. He was just thinking of declining when he looked at Jaemin’s challenging eyes. Jaemin raised an eyebrow at him. 'Oh what the hell,' Jeno thought, smiling back at Jaemin in a challenging manner.

“We’re in. Right Hye?” he looked at Hyejoo expectedly. Hyejoo just smiled, and nodded her head, putting her hand on Jeno's arm and squeezing lightly. A loud cough forced Jeno to look at the other side of the table, where he found Renjun frowning at him. Jeno just looked away, confused by the way the other was looking at him.

“Okay, you guys go first, since you’re losing right now,” Jeno said, smirking at the two boys.

Renjun and Hyejoo both managed to get the small ball in the cups, which wasn’t really a surprise, since both of them were really good. Jaemin was just getting ready to throw the ball into the cup that was right in front of Jeno, when his eyes quickly went up, from the cup to Jeno's eyes. He smirked and threw the ball directly into the cup, never breaking eye contact. Renjun started cheering and hugging him from the side, but Jaemin just winked at Jeno, before turning to Renjun and hugging him back. Jeno just stood there, frozen for a few seconds, wondering what had just happened. At this point, he already knew they were gonna lose.

“Hey, it’s fine if you miss. I don’t really care about the game anyway. And it’s not that much vodka,” he heard Hyejoo saying next to him, probably seeing his hesitation. Jeno smiled at her gratefully. Then he took the ball in his hand, aimed for the cup, threw the ball…

…and missed. He winced, not even surprised. Groaning, he turned to look at Hyejoo apologetically, while Renjun and Jaemin celebrated on the other side of the table. She just smiled at him sadly, already getting the bottle and pouring the liquid inside into two glasses.

“Drink up, losers,” he heard Renjun's mocking voice, and Jaemin snickering beside him.

"Renjun, I would watch what I'm saying if I were you. You're forgetting I'm Yerim's best friend, after all. You don't wanna know the things I know about you," Hyejoo said, staring at Renjun kind of scarily, if you asked Jeno.

The two of them continued bickering, and Jeno tuned out, shifting his attention to Jaemin instead. Jaemin was looking at him mockingly, motioning with his hand for Jeno to drink. Jeno glared at him while taking the glass from Hyejoo's extended hand. He smiled at her and started drinking. He felt Jaemin’s intense gaze on him as the burning liquor filled his insides. He would definitely never say this out loud, but maybe he kind of liked the feeling of Jaemin’s eyes on him.

*

Jeno didn’t even know where he was at this point. The only thing he did know, was that he felt really nice and calm. Happy even. He tried looking around, then stopped abruptly when he realized how blurry everything was. He laughed and started walking again, although he had no idea where he was going to. He then noticed a familiar figure not far away from him, and decided to see who it was. He tried focusing his eyes on the person’s face when he stopped in front of them, but found it to be harder than he thought. After an embarrassingly long amount of time, he realized it was Mark.

“Hey Mark, what are you doing here?“ Jeno asked, happy to see him. Somewhere in the process, he realized they were standing outside of Jaemin’s house. Mark smiled at him, even though the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“Nothing, I’m just getting some air," he answered, sounding somehow sad. Jeno hummed, wondering what was with Mark. He pulled out a cigarette from his jacket, to have something to do, but realized he didn’t have a lighter on him.

“Do you maybe…” he trailed off pointing at his cigarette. Mark’s eyes widened.

“Oh sure! Sorry.” He pulled a lighter from his jacket and lit his cigarette. Jeno smiled at how awkward Mark was. He could see why Donghyuck liked him, he had something charming about himself. That reminded him, Donghyuck! Jeno realized he hadn’t seen him since beer pong.

“Hey, where did Donghyuck go? I haven’t seen him around,” Jeno asked, trying to sound casual. It clearly didn’t help, since Mark immediately flinched upon hearing Donghyuck’s name. Jeno mentally hit himself. That wasn't very smooth.

“I think he went somewhere with that guy, but I’m not sure. It’s none of my business anyway.”

Jeno took notice of how he tried to sound casual as well, but couldn’t hide the tremble in his voice. Jeno started searching for something to say, to at least help a little, when Mark continued speaking: “Why are you smoking outside? Where are the others?”

Jeno thought about the questions for a minute, and realized he really didn’t have the answers. So, he started laughing: “No idea.”

Mark smiled at him, a little more sincerely this time.

“Well, at least someone’s having a good time.”

Jeno frowned, suddenly feeling bad for Mark. He just wanted him to be happy. Why couldn't he be happy like Jeno? So, he decided to start speaking again: “You know, I don’t think Donghyuck even likes that guy, he only did that-”

And then he felt a hand over his mouth, a loud voice from behind interrupting him: “Jeno there you are! I was looking everywhere for you. Ten needs you right now. Sorry Mark, he has to go immediately.”

Two hands spun him around and then he was looking into Jaemin’s eyes. Jeno had to stop for a minute to understand what just happened. He turned to Mark and found him frowning. Clearly, he was missing something. And did Jaemin just say Ten needed him? God, maybe he was feeling sick, or he fainted, or something even worse. He started panicking so he quickly waved at Mark and tugged Jaemin’s arm so he could lead him to his brother. As soon as they got inside, Jaemin turned to him with an apologetic expression.

“Hey, I’m sorry, but I lied about Ten needing you. I had to quickly think of something since you would probably tell Mark something he wasn’t ready to hear,” he said seriously. Jeno sighed in relief, and then hit Jaemin in the arm for scaring him.

“You could have said something else. I actually got really scared,” he mumbled, but couldn't stay serious for more then two seconds, so he started smiling again right after. Jaemin just smiled back, rubbing the place where Jeno hit him.

“Alright, I deserved that. Wanna go to the backyard for a little bit? This loud music is really starting to bother me,” he then asked, looking at Jeno expectedly.

"I have a better idea," Jeno said, smirking at Jaemin and pulling him inside.

"You really made a habit of this, didn't you?" Jaemin asked. It took Jeno almost a minute to realize he was talking about Jeno dragging him by the hand.

"Maybe I did," Jeno yelled over his back, since they were now inside, so they had to shout over the music.

He found a relatively empty spot in the living room, which was now turned into a dance floor, and stopped there. Jaemin looked at him curiously.

"Are we going to dance?"

Jeno just smiled at him, concentrating on his face. Jaemin’s eyes were definitely unfocused, so Jeno assumed he was at least a little drunk as well. He just didn’t want to embarrass himself, since he knew the alcohol was definitely getting to him now. But since Jaemin was drunk as well, he felt better.

"Why? You don't think you can keep up?" he asked the other teasingly.

Jaemin raised his eyebrows, looking surprised by Jeno's comment. Jeno just shrugged back, not taking his eyes off Jaemin. A smile slowly spread on Jaemin’s face, and he started dancing to the song that was playing hesitantly. Jeno smirked, knowing it was his time to show off. He took hip hop classes for six years, so you could say he knew what he was doing.

They danced together for a while, and Jeno completely let go, feeling better then he did in a while. It had been a while since he last danced, so he was happy he got to do it know. What made things even better was that Jaemin was also pretty good, so Jeno found dancing with him fun.

"Lee Jeno, you continue to surprise me," Jaemin leaned in to say in Jeno's ear suddenly. Jeno pulled away to look at him questionably.

"I just wouldn't have expected you to be this good of a dancer," Jaemin clarified, looking at Jeno in a way he couldn't exactly decipher after he was done talking. Jeno would like to think he was impressed.

He felt proud for being able to surprise and impress the other, liking the way Jaemin was looking at him.

"Thanks, you're pretty good, too," he said, smiling to the other brightly.

Jaemin smiled at him, leaning in to say something else, and Jeno's hand automatically went to Jaemin’s lower back, to keep him steady.

"Thanks," Jaemin said, once he was close enough.

His lips brushed the shell of Jeno's ear in the process, and Jeno shuddered involuntarily. Jaemin pulled back a little, his face inches from Jeno's and looked at him with an unreadable expression. Something in the air felt different, and Jeno wasn't sure how to feel about it. He felt his heart speed up. He wanted to take a step back, but couldn't get himself to move, somehow drawn to the other. He licked his lips unconsciously, and Jaemin’s eyes tracked the movement, staying at Jeno's lips for a few seconds. Then Jaemin started leaning in slowly, and Jeno quickly pulled away, looking everywhere but at Jaemin. He checked his phone only to have something to do, and saw it was already past three.

"I think I'm gonna head home now," he said awkwardly, lifting his gaze to Jaemin. He found the other staring at him with a strange expression.

"I'll help you find Ten," he said after a few seconds.

Jaemin started walking in the direction of the kitchen, and Jeno followed him, looking around in hopes of finding Ten. He suddenly started feeling sick, and just wanted to get of the house as quickly as possible.  
It didn’t take long until he noticed a tall figure moving on the improvised dance floor. Trying to move, more like. Jeno would’ve probably started laughing at Johnny’s poor attempt at dancing, if only he hadn't felt like shit. He nudged Jaemin towards Johnny, and they started walking his way. Luckily, like Jeno predicted, his brother was dancing next to him, along with one more guy.

“Hey, I’m not feeling too well, do you mind if we go now?” Jeno said in Ten's ear, not wanting the other three to hear.

Ten looked like he was ready to protest, but something akin to understanding crossed his face when he looked at his brother's face.

“Sure, I’m actually starting to feel a little tired.” Ten looked from Jeno to Jaemin, with a polite smile.

“I’ll walk you out,” Jaemin said, looking at Jeno with a smile that was too awkward to be natural.

They waited until Ten and Johnny said goodbye, with an awkward kiss on the cheek on Ten's side and an awkward “I’ll definitely call you” on Johnny’s part. The three of them quietly walked to the front door, and then it was time to say goodbye.

“Thank you for the invite, the party was great.” Ten luckily broke the silence. He must have felt Jeno's discomfort, since he looked pretty awkward himself, but was still smiling brightly at Jaemin.

“Yeah, it was fun,” Jeno added, trying to smile as naturally as he could.

“Thanks, I’ll text you," Jaemin said, nodding at Jeno and then got back into the house.

Jeno let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Ten looked at him questionably, but stayed quiet, probably sensing Jeno wasn't in the mood to talk.

They started walking down Jaemin’s streat slowly. Jeno tried not to think about the way the night ended, but his brain kept coming back to it. The way Jaemin had looked at him, the way they danced together and Jaemin’s eyes on his lips. And, even worse, the way he had felt. It was all a little too much for Jeno. He wanted to think Jaemin had lost interest in him, but after tonight, he doesn't think he'll be able to, and he didn't know what to do with that realization. His brother's voice luckily interrupted his train of thoughts.

“So, wanna talk about it?”

“There’s nothing to talk about. Let’s just call the cab,” he answered, smiling tightly at his brother. And really, there wasn’t anything to talk about, it wasn't like anything happened. Jaemin seemed fine when they left, which meant that he probably snapped out of it, and got the message. And he probably wasn’t mad at him or anything, since he said he would text him. Not that he had a reason to be mad at Jeno, of course, but still. So yeah, nothing to worry about.

Ten just sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we gonna take over the moon


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What did you do?”
> 
> “Why do you assume I did something?” Jeno asked, getting more annoyed by the second.
> 
> “Because Jaemin looks like he wouldn't hurt a fly," Ten said with a teasing smile, probably meaning it as a joke. Jeno didn't find it funny.
> 
> "And I don't?"
> 
> "Hey, it's okay, chill. I didn't mean it like that. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Ten said carefully, lifting his hands up in defense.
> 
> Jeno knew he was overreacting, but couldn't get himself to care. Suddenly, he couldn't stand being in the house for another second.

Jeno woke up with a bad taste in his mouth. He blinked a few times, having trouble adjusting his eyes to the light that seeped through his bedroom window, hitting him directly in the face. He felt nausea building up inside of him with every second that passed. 

Barely managing to get his phone from the nightstand, he groaned when he found that it's battery was empty. He connected it to his charger, only to feel even worse when his screen lit up, and he saw he had two messages. Somehow, he knew who they were from even before reading the name, and he didn't like the way they were making him feel.

From: Jaemin

9:41

_ Good morning, I hope you slept well _

9:52

_ Are you free today? I was hoping we could meet up and talk _

He felt something inside of him stiffen upon reading the messages. He decided to ignore both the feeling and the messages, instead throwing his phone further down his bed, and closing his eyes again, hoping he would be able to sleep a little more. 

He tried not to think about anything, but the events from last night just kept coming back to him. Especially the way that the night ended. He sighed, mad at himself for letting a small thing like that affect him this much. He didn't even know what exactly he was upset about. The fact that Jaemin apparently still liked him that way, the fact that he would definitely try to kiss Jeno last night if he hadn't reacted, or the fact that Jeno himself didn't know how he felt about any of it. 

He groaned, starting to get annoyed with himself. On top of everything, he knew that Ten would be waiting for him to wake up, so he could start interrogating him. He knew that the understanding the other showed last night when he didn't question him further wasn't going to last long. So, he delayed walking out of his room for a few hours, but after realizing that he would die of thirst if he didn't drink some water immediately, he knew he had no choice but to finally come out.

He silently hoped his brother wasn't home, or that he has magically lost interest in Jeno's life over the night. But, he knew that the second one seemed too unreal to even be possible. Luck has, once again, proven not to be on his side, when Ten cornered him right after he walked out of the room. Jeno wondered how he even managed to get there so fast. He sighed tiredly, definitely not in the mood for Ten's interrogation. 

“Okay, I gave you some space earlier. Now spill,” Ten said dead serious, crossing his arms over his chest dramatically. “What did you do?”

“Why do you assume I did something?” Jeno asked, getting more annoyed by the second. 

“Because Jaemin looks like he wouldn't hurt a fly," Ten said with a teasing smile, probably meaning it as a joke. Jeno didn't find it funny. 

"And I don't?"

"Hey, it's okay, chill. I didn't mean it like that. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Ten said carefully, lifting his hands up in defense. 

Jeno knew he was overreacting, but couldn't get himself to care. Suddenly, he couldn't stand being in the house for another second. He walked past Ten, quickly putting his shoes on, and grabbing his jacket in the process. 

"I'm going outside," he mumbled, walking out of the house and closing the door forcefully. 

After walking around the town for god knows how long, Jeno decided to finally sit on a bench in a park he came across. The park was small, with not many things in it. In fact, there was only a sad looking seesaw, and a rusty swing next to it. There was also no one in the park except for a small boy on the swing, and what was probably his father, sitting on the bench across from the one Jeno was sitting on, looking at his son with a fond smile. Jeno felt something weird build up inside of him. 

Suddenly, a memory appeared in his mind. He remembered himself in this same park, probably twelve or thirteen years ago. His father was with him, too. Back then, both him and his mother weren't working as much as they do now, but they were still pretty busy. So, every moment their parents would spend with them was cherished among the brothers. He remembered Ten being sick that day, and how excited he had been because he was going to have their father all to himself for a day.

The memory itself was not a bad one, in fact, it was a really good one. But, somehow, Jeno couldn't stop a weird feeling from creeping in, as if he was remembering something unpleasant. He distinctively remembered his father saying how he was glad that Jeno loved playing football, because he finally had someone to play with, since Ten wasn't really a fan of it. He remembered how proud his father had been when Jeno blocked the ball he kicked at him, and how he enveloped him in a hug afterwards. Jeno frowned, wondering what exactly about the memory was making him feel uneasy.

In that moment, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, making him flinch involuntarily. He paused, hesitating to check his phone for a second, not sure if he wanted to see who the message was from. He took a few breaths, then got mad at himself again for reacting this way to a simple message. That still didn't stop relief from washing over him once he saw who the message was from, or rather, who it was not from. 

From: Xuxi 💪👊

16:30

_ Where are you, bro? I was just at your house, and Ten said you went somewhere. Call me!!!  _

Jeno checked the date quickly, confirming it really was July twentieth already, or, the date his friends were supposed to come back from China. He couldn't believe he had managed to forget the date he had been looking forward to since the beginning of the summer.

He quickly sent a reply that he would be at the other's house in fifteen minutes, pocketed his phone, and got off the bench. He took once last look at the boy and his father, and was glad to realize that the weird feeling from before was now gone. He smiled, feeling like things were finally starting to fall back in their place.

Sitting in Lucas's basement, with the other next to him, controllers in their hands and a bunch of trash food around them, Jeno felt like he was home. They were playing a new game Lucas has brought from China, while Lucas blabbered on and on about their trip, spitting chunks of food in front of himself occasionally. Jeno was disgusted, but also surprised by how much he has missed this.

"And then in the end he had to pay us, it was hilarious. Man, I really wish you were there," Lucas wheezed, barely managing to finish his story from the way he was laughing. 

Jeno had no choice but to join, since the way Lucas was laughing was so contagious, even though the story itself wasn't that funny.

"Yeah, me too," he said, suddenly reminded that he could have been there with his friends, having fun and not worrying about stupid things like math or science. Still, it was his own decision to stay home this summer and work for his future, and in the end, he knew it was the right one. Lucas probably saw his expression, since he stopped laughing, and threw him a sad look. 

"Well, there's always next summer. We'll already be enrolled in college by then. It's gonna be the best summer of our lives, I just know it," Lucas said confidently, putting his hand on Jeno's shoulder in a way that was probably meant to be comforting. And even if it just made Jeno's shoulder throb with pain, he was thankful for Lucas and his weird ways of showing affection.

"Yeah, it will be," Jeno smiled back at Lucas. "But hey, we still have the rest of this summer, though. Thankfully, I'll be done with this stupid school soon, and then we can enjoy the rest of the summer together."

"Man, you're right. By the way, what's up with you? I barely even heard from you these past few weeks. Is cram school really that hard, or have you forgotten about us?" Lucas asked, faking a hurt expression at Jeno.

Jeno though about it for a second, the events from the past few weeks playing in his mind rapidly.

"Honestly, cram school is shit," he said in the end, making Lucas laugh again. Not like it was a hard thing to do, anyway. "But really, I'm just glad it's coming to an end soon. Just two more weeks actually."

He felt weird not mentioning Jaemin or his friends to Lucas, since they have been a big part of these past few weeks, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He didn't even know what was up with him and Jaemin, so, he wouldn't even know what to say to Lucas. That's why he decided not to say anything. 

"Thank god. I have so many things I want us to do. I can't wait to go to that new arcade park that opened. You know the one? With the huge…"

Jeno let Lucas start another rant about all the things he wanted to do before the school starts, starting another game in the process. 

They stayed like this for a few hours, with not much changing, except for the giant, empty pizza box, that replaced the empty food bags on the table in front of them. Or, rather, the giant pizza box that was just thrown over them. Lucas suddenly stopped their god knows which game when his phone screen lit up as he got a text, smiling widely as he read it. 

"Hey, XJ said that his parents just went on some unplanned trip, so he's having a party. He says he'll invite the whole crew. You don't have other plans, do you?" he asked after a few seconds, looking at Jeno expectedly. 

Jeno's mind suddenly went to the still unanswered messages on his phone from this morning, together with a new one from Ten that joined the other two about an hour ago, making him feel uneasy. He quickly shook his head and smiled at the other in the way he hoped wasn't that awkward.

Luckily, Lucas wasn't all that perceptive, so he just nodded approvingly, smiling at Jeno brigthly. 

"Yeah, man. Let's go!" 

*

The moment they arrived at Xiao Jun's house, Jeno was enveloped in a hug too tight for his liking. But, since the person hugging him was Hendery, there wasn't much he could do about it.

"Hey, I missed you too," he laughed, wiggling out of the other's arms.

Hendery just smiled brightly and started pulling him inside the house, Lucas following them closely. Jeno waved to a few people they passed, but couldn't even say hello properly, since Hendery was walking pretty fast. They finally stepped in Xiao Jun's room, and Jeno couldn't stop a huge smile that spread on his face upon seeing the two of his closest friends.

"Jeno! Finally!" YangYang exclaimed as soon as he noticed them, and both him and the boy next to him got up to hug Jeno.

"Hey guys, I'm so happy all of you are back," Jeno said honestly after the two let him go.

"Yeah, well, I'm not glad I'm back," YangYang said, and Jeno glared at him. "But I'm happy to see you, obviously," he quickly added through laughter.

Jeno just shook his head in disbelief, laughing along with him. 

"By the way, why are you all in here?" Jeno asked, looking around the room confusedly, as if he was going to find the answer somewhere in Xiao Jun's room. 

"We were waiting for you. We need to catch up," Hendery said with a huge smile.

"I love how you trust everyone here enough to leave them alone in your house," Jeno smirked, turning to look at Xiao Jun.

"They'll be fine," the other dismissed. In that moment a loud shattering sound was heard from somewhere in the house, and Xiao Jun frowned. "Fuck, maybe you're right, I should go check this out before people completely trash my house."

Jeno spent the next hour catching up with his friends. That mostly consisted of them talking about their trip, and all the things they did there, but Jeno didn't mind. He was glad his friends had fun, and actually had fun listening to their stories.

Eventually, they left the room and joined the party. It was a lot smaller then Jaemin’s, since there were basically just people from their class and a few other people Xiao Jun knew. Jeno didn't really feel like drinking, so he just walked around for a while, chatting with his friends who he hasn't seen in a while. 

After a while, Jeno went to sit on a couch in the hallway, where no one really sat, so he could have a little break. Since he had been busy ever since the break started, he didn't really see anyone from his school, so he had a lot of catching up to do. And even though he loved most of his friends, he realized he wasn't really in the mood to joke around. That's why he needed some time alone. 

"Hey, is everything okay? You look a little quiet." Jeno turned to see Yeeun standing in front of him, looking at him with a worried expression. He shifted slightly so he could make room for her on the couch next to him.

"Well, more quiet than usual," Yeeun added with a chuckle after sitting down next to him. 

Jeno looked at her closely. She looked really good, but then again, he always thought she did. Her hair was now platinum blonde, and shorter than before. Jeno thought it really suited her. 

"Hey, I didn't know you'd be here," Jeno said, smiling back at her. "Yeah, sure. I'm just tired, that's all."

"Yeah, I just got here actually. Oh, right. Your cram school. Well, you brought it upon yourself," she joked, pushing him with her shoulder gently.

Jeno laughed and pushed her back, careful not to be too harsh. They stayed like that for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's presence. The thing he loved about Yeeun was that she always knew when he needed space, or just a little quiet. She wasn't like most people who just tried to fill out every second with words so desperately, in fear the situation would get awkward if they didn't. Yeeun knew what a comfortable silence was, and Jeno was always thankful for that.

He also realized how much he has missed her, and how long it has been since they last talked. He didn't really know what was going on in her life, and he felt bad. He knew he was the biggest reason for that, since he had been busy for the last few months, and he wanted to make up for it. He didn't want them to slowly drift away, since she was a person who meant a lot to him. And if their breakup didn't ruin their friendship, it would be stupid if a little thing like this did.

"What's up with you? Any guy?" he asked after a while, turning to her and wiggling his eyebrows in a suggestive way. 

"Oh, come on! You know I'm not going to talk about that with you," Yeeun whined, covering her face with her hands.

"So there is someone?" Jeno laughed, lifting his eyebrows teasingly.

"Shut up," Yeeun said lightly, hitting his arm in the process. 

"Why do you keep hitting me?" Jeno laughed, rubbing his arm in exaggeration. Yeeun just hit him again.

He turned to glare at her and saw her smiling at him brightly. For some reason, her smile reminded him of Jaemin and he looked away, confused with what just happened. 

"But seriously, is something wrong?" Yeeun asked again, probably noticing a shift in his mood. Jeno cursed himself in his mind for not being able to hide his emotions better. 

"No, no, it's nothing. I just remembered I have a test tomorrow," he lied, not feeling like explaining the situation to Yeeun. Not even knowing what the situation was himself, if he was being honest. "You know, cram school and stuff," he finished weekly. 

Yeeun looked at him suspiciously. In times like these, Jeno hated how well she could read him, and, even though she usually gave him his space, she could also pester him about something until he told her what was bothering him.

"Jeno, we talked about this. You can't always do that. I'm not saying it should be me, but you have to talk to someone when you're going through something. Remember what happened last year?"

Jeno cringed remembering his big fight with his parents from last year. At first, he didn't tell anyone, thinking how it was his personal problem and how he should handle it by himself. And that worked just fine, until one day he had a mental breakdown, and Yeeun was there to see it all.

"Okay, how about this?" he started, and Yeeun made a show of looking at him with a raised eyebrow. It reminded him of the time they would fight, and Yeeun wouldn't even let him finish because she already knew he was going to say something stupid. 

"No, just hear me out," he said through laughter. "The next time something is bothering me, you'll be the first to know, I promise." 

"Oh, so you admit that something's bothering you now?" Yeeun asked, evidently proud she managed to get him back for earlier. 

"Oh, come on, that's not fair," he whined, even though he knew that it was. 

Yeeun just shrugged her shoulders, still looking smug, letting him know she won't let this one go. Jeno sighed in defeat, thinking it over for a second. Maybe talking to someone about it wouldn't be so bad.

"Alright," Jeno sighed. He quickly thought about how he should explain it. "So, not long ago, I started hanging out with these guys. I've met them in a bar one night, when I was with Kun and Doyoung. And they're great honestly, really fun to be around and all that."

He felt weird mentioning them without talking about Jaemin separately. After all, he was the reason he even met the others, and the one Jeno was the closest with.

"And I've especially gotten close to this one guy, Jaemin. He's a really interesting person, you would love him. Honestly, I think everyone who meets him does," he said with a smile. "Anyways, last night I went to a party he threw at his house, and everything was great. And then we had a small argument. It got pretty awkward after that, so I just left."

Jeno didn't know why he lied, or rather, why he didn't tell Yeeun everything, since it wasn't like he didn't trust her. Yeeun was actually one of the few people Jeno really trusted, and felt like he could tell everything to. Sometimes, he would even tell her things he didn't even tell Ten, or Lucas, since it was just that easy with her. But now, it would be weird telling Yeeun how this same guy he was talking about actually tried hitting on him when they met, and how the reason for their "argument", that didn't even exist, was Jaemin almost kissing him. Jeno immediately stopped his trail of thoughts, not wanting to think about last night again.

"So, now I don't know what to do. He asked me to meet up and talk, and I still haven't answered him. I guess I still feel awkward about the whole argument thing. I don't know, honestly. Maybe I should just stop hanging out with him, it's not like I've known him for that long."

Jeno knew his story was shit, and that Yeeun probably wouldn't even understand anything from it. But, even though he hasn't told her the whole truth, he still didn't want to lie to her completely, and come up with a fake reason for their fight. She luckily picked up on that fact that he didn't want to talk about it in more details, and didn't push him to explain further. 

"Okay, I'm not going to say I completely get it, since I really don't. You're being very vague about all this. But still, if you're thinking about it enough to let it affect your night with friends, who you haven't seen in a few weeks, I think it's important to you," Yeeun said, waving her hands in front of Jeno when he tried to protest. "And I'm not saying that as a bad thing. I know that you get really affected when you get into an argument with someone. What I wanted to say is, if this guy was someone you wanted to cut contact with, you wouldn't be thinking about the situation this much."

Jeno thought it over for a few seconds. Yeeun was right, he obviously did care about Jaemin, and wanted to continue being friends with him. The truth was, Jaemin was probably the most interesting person he's ever met, and he couldn't help but to feel drawn to the other.

"So, you should definitely hear him out," Yeeun continued. "If you don't like what he has to say, and if you still feel awkward afterwards, then you can just stop talking to him. Also, even if he was the one who did something wrong, the fact that he wants to talk to you means he feels bad and wants to make it right, so you should really give him a chance."

Well, now Jeno felt like an idiot. He got so caught up in his own emotions, that he didn't really think about how Jaemin must be feeling. He did feel awkward yesterday, and even today, but Jaemin must be feeling even worse. And Jeno probably made it worse by not texting him back. He turned to look at Yeeun, catching her concerned look. Jeno decided to put a stop on it all. He smiled at Yeeun, seemingly making her more relaxed. 

"Yeah, I think you're right." 

After his talk with Yeeun, Jeno felt much better. He even wondered why he overreacted so much in the first place, when the situation was really not that dramatic at all. And maybe he didn't know Jaemin that long, but Jeno was sure that Jaemin was a good person, and he weirdly trusted him. He also knew he didn't want to ruin their friendship, no matter how new it was, because of a small thing like this. So, he did what he should have done that morning and texted Jaemin back.

To: Jaemin

23:45

_ Sorry, I was busy _

23:45

_ Sure, we can meet tomorrow if you're free _

He felt better immediately after clicking send, but then noticed a still unanswered text from Ten, and remembered the events from this morning. He remembered how dramatic he had been, and sighed tiredly. He also realized he really didn't want to go home tonight, not ready to face Ten just yet. 

"Hey, can I crash at yours tonight?" he turned to ask Lucas, who was standing next to him, immersed in a conversation with Hendery.

Lucas looked confused for a second, but quickly nodded his head. Jeno was thankful his friend didn't ask anything. Lucas may not be the most perceptive person out there, but he knew exactly when Jeno didn't want to talk about something, and always gave him his space. Jeno smiled thankfully, then sent a quick message to Ten, letting him know he won't come home tonight.

*

Standing outside of his favorite café, with Jaemin waiting for him inside, Jeno lost all of his confidence from before. Not that he had a lot to begin with. He took a few deep breaths, calmed down as much as he could - which was, admittedly, not that much; and decided to just get it over with and get in. He was already a few minutes late, so he started walking to the door with hurried steps, and just got ready to open them when something heavy knocked him to the ground.

Jeno actually yelped out loud, but didn’t find the time to be embarrassed about it since the heavy thing landed on him after he fell down to the ground. He opened his eyes and got ready to push away whoever was on top of him, but was left speechless when his eyes met the pair of familiar ones. 

“This is really not helping my case,” Jaemin mumbled, getting up and extending his hand to Jeno, who hurriedly took it and got up, letting go a second after. Realizing what Jaemin meant by that, Jeno felt blush creep up to his face, so he smiled awkwardly, unsure of what else to do. 

“Sorry I ran into you, I got caught up doing something, and didn’t want to keep you waiting, so…” Jaemin explained, trailing off and smiling shyly. Jeno blinked a few times, not really used to seeing Jaemin act all shy and quiet. He liked the change. 

“It’s fine, I wasn’t paying attention, either. Plus, I was late too,” Jeno finished weakly, chuckling awkwardly in an attempt to ease the tension that was evident in the air. 

“Are we going to go in now?” he asked, after seeing that Jaemin wasn’t going to start moving, or say anything, really. 

“Oh, right,” the other boy said hurriedly, immediately starting to walk towards the door.

He struggled with the door handle for a few seconds, and then let out a shaky laugh. Jeno realized he was probably feeling nervous. It was a weird sight, but Jeno couldn’t help but find it kind of endearing. It was probably because he had never seen Jaemin like this, and he had to admit that it was a nice change. He smiled to himself, somehow feeling more at ease now, and followed Jaemin inside.

They found a table near a window, in the isolated part of the café. The café was small, with only a few tables inside, and was relatively empty. Jeno came here all of the time after his cram school classes, its quiet atmosphere creating a perfect ambiance for him to finish his homework. He turned to look at Jaemin and found the other looking around with a small smile on his face.

“This is such a nice place. I’ve never heard of it before," Jaemin said, breaking the silence that stretched around them.

“Yeah, it’s my favorite café actually. It’s not that famous, that’s probably why you haven’t heard of it. That's one of the reasons I like it so much.”

Jaemin hummed and then continued to stare at his hands like they were the most interesting thing in the world. Jeno wondered if he should say something, seeing that Jaemin was obviously struggling. But then Jaemin cleared his throat and looked Jeno directly in the eyes.

“Look, I just wanted to talk about yesterday and explain things,” he started reluctantly. Jeno just nodded his head, prompting him to continue.

It was easier for him if Jaemin was the one who talked first, since he himself wasn't even sure what he wanted to say, anyway. Maybe hearing Jaemin’s side would give him some ideas. At least he hoped it would. 

“First of all, I wanted to apologize. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, and if you’re mad, you have every right to be. As you already knew, I was drunk. Which of course, is never an excuse, but I just wanted to say I wasn’t thinking clearly. Don’t worry, I know you don’t roll that way, and I get it. The truth is, now that I got to know you, I really started seeing you as a close friend, I guess I just got a little carried away the other night. In conclusion, I really like you as a person and I would like to continue being friends, so I wouldn’t want something like this to come in between us. Okay, I’m done now.”

Jaemin let out a little laugh when he finished, clearly feeling better once he got all of that off his chest. Jeno was speechless for a few seconds, thinking Jaemin’s words over. It was a lot to take in, especially since Jeno wasn't even sure if Jaemin would even acknowledge the issue, let alone talk about it this directly. Once again, Jaemin managed to surprise him with how open and honest he was. Maybe it was because of that, that Jeno decided he should also be honest with the other, and tell things how he sees them. 

“Okay, it’s my turn now," he said slowly, hoping he managed to arrange his thoughts at least a little bit, so that he would be able to say everything he wanted to. He looked away from Jaemin, knowing he couldn't get the words to come out with the others intense stare on him. "I’ll admit that I did feel a little uncomfortable, but it wasn’t just your fault. I’m pretty sure I gave you the idea as well, so you really don’t need to apologize.”

“Anyways, I completely agree with you. I like spending time with you, so I really want to be friends too. So let’s just forget about that whole thing and move on, deal?” he smiled brightly, hoping he got to convey everything he was feeling into the right words.

Jaemin returned the smile.

“Deal.”

They spent the next hour or two just talking and laughing together. After Jaemin paid for their drinks (Jeno tried to protest, but Jaemin wouldn’t even hear about it, saying it was his way of apologizing), they slowly started getting out of the café. Once they got outside, they just awkwardly continued standing next to each other. Jeno realized he really didn’t want to go home yet. He was having a great time with Jaemin now that they cleared everything up, remembering what drew him to the other in the first place. He was just about to say something, but Jaemin was faster. 

“Do you have any plans for now?”

*

After about half an hour of walking and discussing where they should go, they agreed to just go to the mall since they were both pretty tired to do anything that required too much energy. 

They went to the closest mall and just walked around, occasionally getting inside some stores. Jaemin wanted to check out the new plushy store that opened, and Jeno reluctantly followed him in, whining how it'll be boring in the process. He helped Jaemin decide which plushy to buy, after they looked at every single one in the store. In the end, he even ended up getting one for himself, on Jaemin’s insisting. When they finished with the store, they realized they spent an embarrassing amount of time inside of the store, but neither of them seemed to care.

After walking around some more, they suddenly realized how hungry they were, and wanted to decide on something to eat. While Jeno wanted to get ice cream, Jaemin wanted some fast food. They started bickering, and Jaemin playfully hit him in the arm. Jeno was just about to hit him back, when he noticed a guy and a girl approaching them. They looked older than them, by a few years maybe. Jeno frowned, wondering what they could possibly want. 

“Hey Jaemin, so nice to see you! How have you been?” the guy asked, once he stood in front of them, a big smile plastered on his face. Jaemin smiled excitedly once he noticed him, then quickly pulled the guy into a tight looking hug.

“Taeil! It’s been a while, yeah. I’m great. How are you? Are you still in the hospital?” Jaemin asked the guy. Jeno noticed how happy he looked, so he figured the guy must be someone important to Jaemin. The two of them continued talking, and Jeno tuned out. He looked at the girl that stood next to the guy, looking a little bored. He wondered if the two of them were together, then confirmed they were, when his eyes fell on their joined hands. That caused him to miss a part of their conversation, and he only tuned back in when he realized Jaemin was gesturing towards him.

“Oh, this is my friend, Jeno. And this is Taeil, he was my supervisor before he moved to another location.” Jaemin was now pouting slightly looking at Taeil, who smiled again and ruffled his hair playfully.

“You know they need me there more Nana,” Taeil said, and Jaemin just nodded his head seriously at that. Jeno would probably understand what they were talking if he didn’t zone out, so, he decided to just copy Jaemin and nod along with them. Taeil then turned to look at Jeno with a polite smile. “Anyways, nice to meet you. And this is Joy, my fiancé."

After gesturing towards the girl, Taeil turned back to them, smiling a little smugly, and Jeno understood why. Joy practically looked like a model, and he would act the same in his place. Jeno smiled at her politely. 

“Nice to meet you guys. Oh, so you’re Jaemin? I heard a lot of nice things about you from Taeil, he even once told me you brought him back a faith to humanity. Granted, he was really drunk that time, but still…” she trailed off, chuckling slightly. Taeil just smiled awkwardly, looking a little embarrassed. 

Jaemin laughed loudly at that. “Wow, I didn’t know you liked me that much.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Taeil muttered. 

Jeno was now very confused, so he just smiled and waited for the two to go away, so he could ask Jaemin to explain everything.

“Anyways, we’re not gonna keep you any longer. It was nice seeing you Jaemin, we should catch up these days. Nice meeting you Jeno," Taeil said, slowly moving away from them.

“Yeah, definitely. Let me know when you’re free. Bye!” Jaemin was yelling after them.

“You too, bye,” Jeno said at the same time.

“Okay, who was that?” he asked as soon as the two left their sight. “And why did you bring back faith in humanity to him?”

Jaemin looked away from Jeno with a small smile. He looked like he was shy for some reason. Jeno would be worried for thinking it was very cute, if he hadn't accepted by now that Jaemin could be very cute sometimes, and that there was nothing he could do about it. Jaemin waited a few seconds, before starting to talk.

“Oh, that’s just Taeil being dramatic. He was my supervisor at the place I volunteer, but he recently switched to some hospital, since he actually finished medical high school, so he has something to offer there. I admire him so much, he’s probably the best person I know,” Jaemin looked a little lost in thoughts while speaking.

“Place where you volunteer at?” Jeno asked dumbly. He didn’t really see that coming.

“Yeah, it’s an organization that does a lot of volunteer work. I joined a few years ago after attending one of their charity events with my parents.”

Jeno was honestly impressed. Suddenly, he felt bad for not doing something like that when he could certainly find the time for it, and he had always wanted to help.

“That’s so amazing! I’ve always wanted to do something like that, but always thought I was too busy to actually start doing something, when, in reality, I can definitely find the time,” Jeno said looking in front of himself. They came to a small bench, and spontaneously sat on it.

“I know what you mean, it would probably never have crossed my mind, if I hadn’t came to that dinner and learned more about the organization. I’m happy I did, though.” 

“What do you do there mostly?” Jeno now turned towards Jaemin completely. 

“Well, I’m basically always with the kids and the animals, since I love both so much. And when we have an event, or some sort of charity organization, we all work on that until it’s done. But all of the people that work there are amazing, and don’t get me started on the kids, so I really enjoy my time whenever I volunteer. Anyways, you should come and check it out if you’re interested.”

Jeno didn’t even need to think about it, he decided right away that he would go with Jaemin as soon as possible. He also couldn’t help but notice the way Jaemin was talking about volunteering. You could really see that he enjoyed doing it, and actually liked helping. Not for the first time, Jeno felt fascinated by Jaemin.

“Definitely. Just let me know the next time you’re going," Jeno smiled brightly at Jaemin, who looked away with a small smile. Although he was still surprised every time he saw Jaemin like this, all shy and reserved, Jeno realized it was maybe his favorite side of the other.

*

It was only when Jeno was on his way home, after he spent practically the whole day with Jaemin, that he remembered his fight with Ten. Well, it wasn't really a fight, but since the two of them almost never got into bigger arguments, Jeno felt like this could count as one. Even though he knew his brother probably didn't even look at it as an argument, he still felt bad for reacting the way he did. And then ignoring him for the whole day.

So, he made sure to pick up Ten's favourite ice cream before he got home, and hoped his brother wasn't asleep yet. He opened the front door, getting inside of his house, and founding Ten sitting in the living room. Jeno smiled at him, and moved to sit on the couch. 

"Hey," he said, trying not to sound awkward, but knowing Ten would see right through him, anyway.

"Hey," Ten smiled back. "How was your day?"

"It was good," Jeno answered with a small smile, reminded how happy he was that he worked things out with Jaemin. "Listen, I wanted -"

"No, stop. I want to say something first," he was interrupted by Ten before he could even say anything. He stopped talking, prompting ten to continue. "I wanted to apologize for being too pushy. I know I joke a lot, and sometimes my jokes can go too far. And I know I can be annoying." 

"Don't say it like that. You know I don't mind your jokes. Or the fact that you're annoying," Jeno said with a teasing smile, making Ten punch him in the arm jokingly, but still pretty hard. 

"Alright, alright. But you know what I mean. It doesn't really bother me. Although, you do need to learn when to back off, and cut the jokes."

"I know. Honestly, sometimes I forget you're still a teenager, and have all these emotions and moods that come out of nowhere," Ten started, and Jeno already didn't like where he was going. "God, I remember when I was in high school. I was awful."

Ten was now laughing, probably remembering some cringey moments from his teenage days. And he was right, he was way worse than Jeno. You could even say that he went through an emo phase, wearing all black and hating pretty much everyone. He would stay in his room all day, not bothering to speak with anyone if not necessary. Twelve-year-old Jeno was very confused, and couldn't understand what was happening to his brother at the time.

"Don't remind me," Jeno said. "I literally couldn't even talk to you properly, without you mentioning how I was too young to understand something, or lashing out on me. It was really annoying."

"Well, yeah. Point is, you're so mature for your age that sometimes I really do forget you're younger than me, and that I should be the responsible one," Ten sighed, looking away from Jeno. Then his eyes fell on the bag Jeno was carrying. "Is that-"

"Yes, it's your ice cream," Jeno sighed tiredly, even though he couldn't stop the small smile from spreading on his face.

"I love you," Ten squealed, jumping over Jeno, and hugging his brother tightly.

"Get off," Jeno whined, trying to escape his brother's hold, although still laughing.

Ten got off of him after a few minutes, running towards the kitchen with ice cream in his hands, and a big smile on his face. Jeno smiled fondly. He felt so much better after working things out with him. And, more than anything, he was really glad to see his brother happy, since it was a rare sight these days. 

"By the way, mom and dad are coming home tomorrow," Ten said through a mouthful of ice cream after he came back from the kitchen. He handed one of the spoons to Jeno.

"That's good. I was sure they were gonna extend it this time too," Jeno said, getting lost in his thoughts. 

He wasn't expecting his parents to actually come home on the date they said they would, since the last few times, they ended up extending their trip four times, before finally coming back. Jeno was happy they were coming, though. He felt like he hasn't seen them in so long, and he felt like it would be nice to have some family time.

"I know, right? Miracles do happen," Ten joked, putting his hand over his chest dramatically.

"Stop it," Jeno laughed, taking a spoonful of ice cream. Ten was right, it was very good. "No, but I'm actually glad they're coming."

Ten just hummed in response. Jeno knew he had a complicated relationship with their parents, so he didn't push it further. While Jeno usually avoided conflict, and almost always did what his parents wanted him to do, in order not to get into a fight, Ten had to say everything that was on his mind, and did whatever he wanted. That often led to fights with their parents, where they both said things they didn't mean. 

"Alright, now what happened with Johnny yesterday?" he asked, trying to change the subject. He also really wanted to know, since he hasn't seen his brother interested in someone for a very long time.

Ten actually started blushing at his words, shocking Jeno completely, since Ten never blushed.

"I don't know, it was probably a one time thing. I don't think he'll call me or anything. And it's not like I want him to, anyway," Ten said, looking very unconvincing and awkward.

Jeno tried to suppress a laugh, but felt like he did a bad job, because Ten started glaring at him. The truth was, Ten has always had trouble accepting his feelings and admitting he liked someone. Jeno thought he was probably afraid of getting hurt, and didn't want to get his hopes up. That probably worsened after Doyoung. Even though Ten was the one who broke it off, Jeno knew how much he hurt because of it. That's why he knew not to push it again. Besides, he had a feeling Johnny will call him soon.

"Right," was the only thing he said, smiling at Ten teasingly.

Ten just threw a pillow on him.

Jeno got into his room feeling happier than he did in a while. Even though just yesterday he felt like shit, now everything seemed to be working itself out. He was happy his school was finally coming to an end, he cleared the air with Jaemin, made up with Ten, and even his parents were coming home. After a long time, everything just seemed right. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm cheese boy
> 
> No but really, I'm so happy our little cheese boy is back


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Sorry, that was a bit pushy. I'll leave you alone if that's what you want," Jaemin said after a few seconds, and Jeno felt bad about how sorry the other looked. 
> 
> "No, it's alright, you can stay," Jeno said, surprised at himself for actually meaning it. 
> 
> They stood there in silence, and Jeno was pleasantly surprised that Jaemin didn't try to break it. He just leaned on the wall next to Jeno, looking somewhere in front of himself, but Jeno could see with his peripheral vision that he had a small smile on.

Jeno spent the next few weeks in excessive studying, and he could easily say that they were the most exhausting few weeks in his life. He barely did anything else except going to his lessons and then studying for them when he got back home. The only thing that kept him from going crazy was the thought that it'll be over soon. Well, that and the messages from Jaemin, which became a constant in his life ever since the last time they saw each other.

Jaemin has made it his job to text Jeno every day, making sure he remembers to eat and cheering him up when he was too tired to keep going. If it was anyone else, Jeno would probably be annoyed, since he didn't like it when people were bothering him that much, and getting all up in his business. But, since it was Jaemin, he just went with it, and actually started liking the idea of someone caring if he ate or was overworking himself. Besides, he accepted some time ago, that Jaemin was an exception when it came to a lot of things, and just stopped questioning it completely.

And now that he was finally done with his last test, all he wanted to do was go home and sleep for at least twelve hours. Of course, nothing ever went the way he wanted it to, so, when he came home, he was greeted with the sight of his whole family sitting in the living room, which was practically something that almost never happened. 

"What's going on?" Jeno asked once he stood in the entrance of his living room, not even bothering to cover his confusion.

"Oh Jeno, you're home," his mother exclaimed excitedly. Both his father and Ten looked up at him at that, his father with a small smile, and Ten with a neutral expression. Jeno guessed that, whatever was happening, Ten wasn't all that happy about it. 

"I was thinking we could all go out for lunch. How does that sound?" his mother continued, smiling at him widely.

Jeno shifted on his feet. He really didn't feel like going on a family lunch right now, too tired to even keep his eyes open. Besides, it was well known that, every time the four of them spent time together, some fight was going to occur. And it almost always involved Ten and his father. 

"Your mother and I are going on a long trip tomorrow, we will probably be gone for a month, so we thought we should do something together, as a family, before we go," his dad said, probably noticing Jeno's hesitation.

"No, sure, we can go, just let me change," Jeno said hurriedly, feeling bad for hesitating like that. It didn't matter if he was tired, he knew his parents felt bad for being busy all of the time, even if it wasn't really their fault, and Jeno didn't want to make them feel any worse. He walked to his bedroom, leaving the door opened, while he searched for something to change into.

"Mom, I told you he'll be exhausted, he's just too nice to say anything," he heard Ten's hushed voice, immediately followed by his father's louder one.

"Why do you always have to do this? He can speak for himself, he doesn't need you to do it for him." 

'Great, so it has already started', Jeno though bitterly. He sighed, grabbing the first thing in his closet, and changing into it quickly. When he got out of his room, they were all quiet, but the tension between Ten and their father was clearly there.

"Let's go!" Jeno's father said, getting up to his feet, with a smile too big to be genuine. Jeno saw Ten rolling his eyes from where he was sitting. This was going to be a long lunch, and Jeno couldn't exactly say he was ready for it.

The lunch went by slowly, but better than Jeno had expected. He could see that both Ten and his father were trying hard not to provoke one another, which he imagined was very hard for them, since they could usually barely have a conversation without it turning into an argument. It seemed almost too good to be true.

Like Jeno predicted, the peaceful atmosphere didn't last that long. It all started with a middle-aged woman from the table next to theirs rudely yelling at the waitress for accidentally bringing her the wrong dish. They all stopped to watch the scene in front of them, disapproving of the woman's behavior. 

"Poor girl, I can't imagine working her job, where people with complexes constantly look down on you, and treat you like you're shit just because of the job you're doing," Ten said, looking at the girl in question sympathetically. 

"Just you wait, that's about the only thing you will be able to do with that degree of yours," Jeno's father chuckled, probably meaning it as a joke.

Everyone went silent after that. Jeno didn't even need to look at Ten to know the other was pissed off. And rightly so, in Jeno's opinion. He knew his father was joking, but he also took it a little too far. Jeno reached under the table to put his hand on Ten knee, trying to get him to relax.

He knew that their father just wanted what was best for Ten, and he probably thought he was helping him with comments like these. But still, with him constantly showing his disapproval of Ten being a dance major, it was obvious Ten wasn't going to take the joke very well.

"Ten, he was just joking, no need to start anything while we-" their mother started, but was cut off by Ten. 

"At least I'll be able to spend more than two hours a month with my family," he spat back, throwing his father a challenging look.

"Right, if we're calling that a family," his father snorted, taking a large gulp of wine from his glass. 

"That's enough!" his mother yelled at the same time as Ten started laughing humorlessly.

"And there it is, the real reason for everything," Ten said, raising his voice enough to get a few looks from the people from the tables close to theirs. Their mother pinched the bridge of her nose, clearly upset with the situation. Jeno felt sorry for her, but even worse for Ten.

His brother got up from his seat, storming outside a second later. Jeno got up right after, ready to go after him, but not before giving his father a disapproving look.

"Really dad," he mumbled, moving to go after Ten without waiting for his father to say anything, since he would probably not even have anything to say.

Luckily, he found Ten standing right in front of the restaurant, looking in front of himself with an empty stare. Jeno stood next to him, offering him a cigarette from his pack. Ten took it without even shifting his gaze.

"You okay?" Jeno asked, even though the answer was more than obvious.

"I'm just pissed off. Mostly at myself. I don't know why I let him get to me like this. I always say I won't let him next time, but I can't -" he stopped suddenly, seemingly too frustrated too continue.

Jeno squeezed his arm, hoping it would at least help him calm down a bit. He hated seeing his brother upset like this, especially when it wasn't even Ten's fault. 

"Of course you can't control it. You can't just force yourself not to feel things, it doesn't work that way. And dad really went too far this time, you have every right to be mad at him."

Ten just hummed, taking a drag from his cigarette. Jeno knew Ten already knew all of this, but he couldn't blame him for getting upset. Hearing something like that from your parent was never easy. They stayed like that for a while, standing next to each other, both lost in their thoughts. 

"I don't wanna go back with them," Ten broke the silence, and Jeno nodded his head in understanding.

"We won't go with them. I'll just let them know we're going somewhere together, okay?" Jeno asked, and Ten nodded, turning to look at Jeno with gratitude.

"We can go get ice cream, how does that sound?" Jeno asked, smiling at Ten, hoping it would relax him a little bit. 

"That sounds good, thanks Jen," Ten smiled back at him. It was a weak smile, but it was still one, so Jeno counted it as a win.

*

From: Jaemin

16:57

Okay, now that you're officially done with school, I finally get to see you again

Wanna do something tomorrow?

"Why are you smiling like that? Who are you texting?" Lucas asked, startling Jeno, who was too engrossed in his conversation with Jaemin to notice Lucas apparently staring at him for god knows how long. When he turned to look at him, he saw the other wiggling his eyebrows at him suggestively.

They were in Lucas's room again, playing the same game like the last time, only this time, Xiao Jun and YangYang joined them. Lucas and him were watching Xiao Jun and YangYang compete for the second place, with Jeno already securing the first one earlier. Jeno snorted, pocketing his phone.

"It's no one. Just a friend," he dismissed, trying to sound indifferent.

For some reason, he felt nervous mentioning Jaemin to his friends. He knew they'll definitely have to meet him at some point, if he continued hanging out with Jaemin, which he intended on doing, but at the same time, he was kind of scared of introducing them.

"A friend? You don't have any friends we don't know," Lucas said, looking genuinely confused with his answer.

Now Xiao Jun and YangYang both turned to look at Jeno, the game they were playing forgotten in order to hear Jeno's answer. Jeno wanted to protest, since Lucas made it sound like he didn't have any friends. But the other was right, Jeno didn't really have any friends except from the ones from school, and Ten's friends. Well, and now Jaemin.

"I do, actually. I met them while you guys were in China," Jeno said defensively. "We hung out a few times."

"Oh, really?" Lucas asked, genuinely surprised. 

Jeno tried not to get offended by the fact that Lucas thought it was that surprising for him to make friends.

"That's cool," YangYang said, losing interest and nudging Xiao Jun so they could continue with their game.

Lucas gave him a small smile, and then they went back to watching Xiao Jun and YangYang play, even though the game was pretty boring. But both of them were too lazy to get up and actually find something to do while the other two played, so they just continued doing it. 

"By the way, I thought it was Yeeun," Lucas said quietly after a while, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"What was Yeeun?" Jeno asked, turning to look at Lucas.

"You know, the person you were texting," Lucas said, turning to Jeno and smiling suggestively. "I saw you two at Xiao Jun's a few weeks ago."

Jeno spluttered, not expecting Lucas to mention that. Yeeun and him have been close ever since their break up. Well, not close like when they were together of course, but they still talked and hung out sometimes. So, he didn't see the reason for Lucas to bring it up like this.

"We were just talking," Jeno explained, looking at Lucas pointedly. "You know that we're friends, right?"

"Alright, if you say so," Lucas smiled knowingly, and Jeno pushed him, making him fall from the chair he was sitting on.

"Oh, come on!" Lucas yelled from the floor.

"It's what you deserve," Xiao Jun said, not even taking his eyes off the screen to see what was happening.

"You don't even know why he did it," Lucas now directed his yelling at Xiao Jun, getting up and trying to distract him, so he would lose the game.

"Lucas, I swear to god-"

Jeno watched his friends bicker like children, smiling at their antics. Then he remembered he never responded to Jaemin’s text, and pulled his phone out of his pocket. 

To: Jaemin 

17:45

Did you miss me that much hahah?

Sure, we can hang out tomorrow

Then he remembered he wasn't exactly free tomorrow, but that actually gave him an idea.

"Hey, do you guys mind if I ask Jaemin and his friends to join us in the arcade tomorrow?" he asked, shifting his attention to his friends, who were now fighting for the controller in YangYang's hand.

"Jaemin?" YangYang asked, turning to look at Jeno with a confused expression.

That caused Lucas to successively take the controller from his hand, yelling in victory and taking YangYang's place in front of the TV. YangYang just sighed, moving to sit on the couch next to Jeno.

"Yeah, the friend I was talking about earlier," Jeno said, rolling his eyes. 

"Oh, of course not, even better. It'll be so much fun. And we get to meet your new friends!" Lucas exclaimed, smiling from ear to ear.

"Yeah, sure," Xiao Jun confirmed, and YangYang nodded his head with a smile.

Jeno smiled back, wondering why he was even worried in the first place. Of course Lucas and the others are going to love Jaemin and his friends. They were the kind of people that got along with pretty much everyone. Not to mention, Jaemin was a person practically everyone liked, and all of his friends Jeno has met so far were interesting and fun to be around of. Jeno went back to his phone with a smile on his face.

To: Jaemin

17:56

Or even better, I'm going to that new arcade place tomorrow with a few friends

Wanna join?

*

"You sure they're here?" Hendery asked, struggling to look around because of the sun that went straight into his eyes.

It was hot as hell, and Jeno just wanted to meet up with the others so they could all go inside. The five of them just got to the park, and now they were standing in the entrance while practically boiling in the hot sun. Lucas and his girlfriend, Yuqi, were standing next to Jeno, Lucas fanning Yuqi with his hands. Hendery and YangYang stood a little further, trying to use the shade from a small tree as a shelter from the sun, even though it barely even covered their legs.

Jaemin texted him about fifteen minutes ago, saying that he and his friends were already there, and to let him know when they arrive. For some reason, Jeno found himself feeling nervous. He hasn't seen Jaemin and his friends since the party, and he felt weird seeing them again, even though he's heard from Jaemin almost every day. He lit up a cigarette, trying to ease his nerves.

"Yeah, I'm gonna call Jaemin to see where they are. This place is huge," Jeno said, looking around himself, even though he knew he almost definitely wouldn't spot Jaemin, since the park really was huge.

When he first heard about the place, Jeno wondered what the big deal was about, not understanding how an arcade place can be that special. But the park really was something else. It wasn’t a regular arcade place, with just games and machines. It was designed like an amusement park, with little streets that led to different parts of the complex. There even was a small fountain in the middle, and stands of fast food and sweets were everywhere. Jeno felt like he was in Disneyland, or some other themed park. Needless to say, the place was amazing.

“Wow, this place is beautiful. I would have never expected something like this from an arcade place,” Yuqi exclaimed while still looking around.

"I know, I told you we should come here," Lucas said excitedly, hugging Yuqi from behind. She slapped his hands away, shrugging him off, probably feeling too hot even without Lucas's giant body pressed against her, let alone with it.

YangYang and Hendery were now bickering annoyingly, and Jeno wondered how the two of them were going to make it alive, now that Xiao Jun wasn't there to keep them from killing each other. The other wanted to come, but had to leave with his family for the weekend. Jeno turned back to his phone, quickly clicking on Jaemin’s contact.

“Hey, are you guys here?” Jaemin’s voice came from the phone when he picked up. He sounded bright and cheerful, and Jeno wondered if Jaemin was even capable of being in a bad mood. If he was able to sound so happy and lively at this temperature, the answer was probably no. 

“Yeah. This place is huge, though. Where are you?” Jeno asked, using his free hand to wipe a drop of sweat that was traveling down his neck annoyingly.

In that moment a loud squeal was heard from the phone, followed by loud laughter. Jeno frowned, wondering what that was about. It also sounded like there were at least ten people with Jaemin, and Jeno wondered if he should be worried, since he wasn't expecting to meet so many people. He loved meeting new people, but at the same time, he often became shy when there were too many people he didn't know in one place.

“We were in the café, but we’ll come to the entrance now. I think it’s the easiest way to find each other if you stay there," Jaemin laughed through the phone, probably at something that was happening there. 

“Okay, we’ll wait here," Jeno said, finishing the call. He turned to the others, that now looked practically dead from the heat. “He said they’re heading here now.” The others just hummed weakly in response.

A few minutes later, Jeno saw a big group approaching them. There weren't exactly ten people, but he had been close. After scanning all of them, Jeno concluded that he luckily knew most of the group, except for the two girls that were walking next to the girl he recognized as Hyejoo, the one he played beer pong with at Jaemin’s party. The three girls were talking animatedly and laughing together. In that moment Hyejoo lifted her head and locked eyes with Jeno, immediately smiling even wider and waving at him. Jeno smiled and waved back at her. He liked Hyejoo, she was interesting and funny, not to mention very pretty.

Then his eyes fell on Jaemin, who was already looking at him and was frowning slightly. He was walking next to Renjun, who was telling him something, but Jaemin looked like he wasn't really listening to him. Or maybe he did, and was frowning at something the other was telling him. Jeno smiled, waving him over, and Jaemin’s face quickly broke into a smile, making it look like he was never frowning in the first place. Jeno also noticed Mark and Donghyuck, who were trailing off behind everyone else, laughing at something together. He was glad to see the two of them made up. When the group came close enough, Jaemin went straight to Jeno. 

“Hey, I’m so happy you guys invited us. This place is great, and it would probably never cross our mind to come here on our own," Jaemin said excitedly, after he gave Jeno a quick hug. 

“Yeah, it looks pretty cool, I wasn't expecting this either honestly,” Jeno said, smiling at the other. "Anyways, these are my friends," Jeno motioned towards the others. 

After everyone met everyone, they decided to get going. The two girls introduced themselves as Jiwoo and Yerim, the second apparently being Renjun's girlfriend. As soon as they all started walking, Jeno noticed Jaemin slowing down so he could catch up to him. He smiled, not even trying to hide that he was glad to see the other.

"So, how do you feel now that you're finally done?" Jaemin asked, smiling brightly. Jeno could do nothing else but reciprocate it, with how contagious the other's smile was.

"Amazing, honestly. I'm just glad I have a month to relax before school starts again."

"Yeah, I'm glad you'll have the time to relax, too. You were working really hard, I started getting worried honestly," Jaemin said, pouting slightly. 

Jeno burst into laughter. He couldn’t believe how ridiculous Jaemin was. He couldn’t remember the last time he was worried about one of his friends when they were a little busy. But, here Jaemin was, being genuinely worried about him.

"Yeah, I could tell. Honestly, not even my mother cares that much if I eat," he joked, nudging Jaemin with his shoulder so he knew he was joking, and didn't actually mind his worrying.

"I was just worried," Jaemin mumbled, pouting even harder. Jeno got a sudden urge to wipe the pout off his face. 

"I know, I know. I'm just joking," Jeno said, softer this time. "You didn't need to be, but thank you anyway."

Jeno felt awkward after getting serious like that, but after noticing a small smile that was now on Jaemin's face, he decided it was worth it. They walked next to each other in silence, observing the place around them. It really was a cool place, and now that they escaped the heat, Jeno felt like he could actually appreciate it. There were a lot of different games and machines around them, a lot of which Jeno has never even heard of before. 

Then his eyes fell on Mark and Donghyuck, who were walking in front of them. They were holding hands, and Donghyuck was swinging their hands back and forth while talking about something animatedly. Jeno smiled to himself, remembering Jungwoo's story from the party. He turned to Jaemin and found him looking at a pair as well, only he had a small smile on his face.

"Sorry if I'm overstepping, you don't have to answer me. But are those two…" he trailed off, subtly pointing at Mark and Donghyuck with his head. Jaemin started laughing loudly. 

"What, together? As if," he snorted. "I'm honestly starting to doubt that they'll ever end up together with how stupid they both are being."

"Oh, that's a shame," Jeno said honestly. After everything that happened at Jaemin’s party, he felt genuinely bad for the two. Even if it was pretty much their fault, Jeno could imagine how hard it was for them to accept their feelings.

"Since when are you so invested in Mark and Donghyuck's relationship?" Jaemin asked with raised eyebrows. 

"Well, Jungwoo told me a little about them at your party. I just think it's sad for them to continue being friends if they both have feelings for each other," Jeno explained.

"Well, at least it's not just one of them," Jaemin chuckled humorlessly, looking away from Jeno. Jeno's heart started beating faster in his chest. Jaemin couldn't be talking about- "I meant it's good that they at least both like each other. They'll figure it out eventually," the other explained quickly.

"Right," Jeno said after a few seconds.

He still wasn't sure what had just happened, but he could see that Jaemin was also acting pretty weird, so he wasn't imagining it. Luckily, in that moment Lucas yelled Jeno's name from somewhere behind them, saving Jeno from thinking of something to say. He smiled at Jaemin apologetically, before turning around and going towards Lucas.

After some wandering around, most of the group, including Jeno, wanted to go to the dancing machines. They decided to split into two groups, since there were too many of them to all go together. YangYang, Lucas, Yuqi, Mark and Yerim went to play air hockey, while the rest of them went to dance.

When the six of them came to the machines, they decided to compete against each other, so they would make the game more interesting. That resulted in splitting into two groups again. Jeno ended up in a group with Hendery and Donghyuck, while the other team consisted of Jaemin, Renjun and Jiwoo. Hendery and Renjun were going first, and Donghyuck moved so he could stand next to Jeno as soon as they started playing.

"Hello stranger," he said, nudging Jeno with his elbow. Jeno turned to him, smiling widely. Donghyuck and Jaemin had that in common, he noticed, making people around them smile whenever they were smiling. 

"Hey, what's up?" Jeno asked. 

"I wanted to say sorry if I was a little too much at Jaemin’s party. People say I can be very annoying when I drink, so..." Donghyuck trailed off. He didn't look very sorry in Jeno's opinion.

Jeno just laughed, brushing the other off. Donghyuck definitely was a little too much when he was drunk, but Jeno didn't really find him annoying.

"Hey, it's fine. You were actually pretty fun, I promise," he said, smiling at Donghyuck reassuringly.

"Great!" Donghyuck exclaimed, smiling from ear to ear.

They continued chatting while the two played, until they were interrupted by loud cheering and a few disappointed grunts. When Jeno turned to look, he found that Hendery was the one screaming since he apparently won, and the other team was not very happy about it.

"Drop the beat," Donghyuck said, high-fiving Hendery when the boy came to them. Hendery smiled widely.

"Good job, man," Jeno congratulated him with a smile. 

Next up were Donghyuck and Jiwoo. Jeno and Hendery turned their attention to them, watching the duel with interest. It was clear from the beginning that Donghyuck didn’t stand a chance, since he messed up in the beginning and was struggling to get back to it because he was laughing so hard.

"Damn you Jiwoo," Donghyuck yelled through laughter. Jiwoo just stuck her tongue out at him, still managing not to miss even one step.

Jeno didn't really care about winning that much, so he just chuckled and continued watching the match. Donghyuck finally stopped laughing, and was doing pretty well now, but still stood no chance against Jiwoo, who for some reason was very good at the game.

“Is it your first time playing?” Jeno heard Jaemin ask at one point. He was so engrossed in the game, he didn't even notice the other moving to stand next to him. 

“No, me and Ten actually used to play all of the time before. But still, I'm happy I'm not competing against her, she's very good," Jeno said, pointing at Jiwoo with his chin.

"Yeah, but, you’re up against me, so don’t relax just yet," Jaemin said, smirking at Jeno annoyingly.

“Oh you’re on. This time, I’m not-"

Jeno was interrupted by a loud squeal, and in the next moment Jiwoo was jumping straight into Jaemin’s arms. Jaemin just laughed, spinning her around and then putting her down, congratulating her. Jeno blinked a few times, watching the scene in front of him confusedly. He didn't realize the two of them were that close. But then again, he didn't really know anything about Jaemin's relationships with his friends, except for with the ones he had already met. 

Jiwoo then continued telling Jaemin something while holding his hand the entire time. Jeno took a few steps back, feeling like he was invading a private moment between the two. Jaemin laughed loudly at something the girl told him, and then caught Jeno's eyes, and threw him an apologetic look. Jeno tried to smile as natural as he could, even though he wasn't that happy about Jiwoo interrupting him in the middle of the sentence. 

“Okay, let's go," Jaemin said after he finished talking to Jiwoo, grabbing Jeno by the arm and dragging him towards the machine.

When the song started, Jeno tried really hard to focus so he doesn’t lose to Jaemin. Again. He was doing a pretty good job, until somewhere in the middle of the song, Jaemin pushed him a little so he missed a few steps. He turned to the other, shocked by what just happened.

“Oh no, you didn’t," he exclaimed loudly. “You’re dead, Na Jaemin!”

And then they started pushing each other and bickering while at the same time still trying to get the steps right. Needless to say, they both did a pretty terrible job. But Jeno actually ended up winning by a little, so he was happy.

After that, they decided to meet up with the others. On the way to the café, where the others were waiting, Jeno walked in silence. His mind unwillingly drifted to the fight between Ten and his dad. He tried not to think about it, but he couldn't help but to be affected by it. Every time the two fought, Ten was left in a bad mood for a few days, and they were all used to it by now. That didn't meen Jeno wasn't worried about him every time it happened. 

Ten didn't come home yesterday, instead staying at a friend's house, and Jeno thought how it was a smart decision. If he had stayed home, it would only lead to more fights between the two, and that was definitely something no one wanted. Still, he felt bad that Ten had to sleep somewhere else just because their dad loved provoking him. Jeno didn't even notice how spaced out he was, until a voice broke his trail of thoughts, almost making him jump in surprise.

“They look cute together, don’t they?”

Jeno turned quickly, only to find it was Renjun who said it, looking at Jeno with an unreadable expression. Jeno frowned, confused with Renjun's question. 

"What?" Jeno asked, giving Renjun a confused look.

"Jaemin and Jiwoo, they look cute right?" Renjun clarified, pointing somewhere in front of them.

Jeno looked in the direction the other was pointing in, and surely enough, Jaemin and Jiwoo were walking next to each other, laughing at something loudly. Jeno deepened his frown, wondering why Renjun would ask him such a question. Especially because he never even bothered to speak with him until now. 

“I guess,” Jeno shrugged, not knowing how to answer his question. He even smiled politely, not wanting to come off as rude to Jaemin’s best friend, even if the other hasn't been all that nice to him.

“They were together for two years," Renjun started talking even though Jeno didn't ask him anything. "I always wanted them to get back together, since Jiwoo is pretty much perfect for Jaemin.”

Renjun was now looking at him with a weird expression, and Jeno started wondering what the hell was going on. He had to admit he was a little taken aback by what the other has told him. He looked back at Jaemin and Jiwoo and saw that the two were still walking together, seemingly deep in conversation. 

"That's nice. Still, there must be a reason they broke up, so…" he trailed off, not even knowing what he wanted to say himself.

He didn't know what came into him to say that when it didn't even make sense. He obviously didn't know anything about Jaemin and Jiwoo's relationship, let alone about the reason they broke up. It was probably the fact that Renjun looked at him with such a challenging expression, that got him to say that. 

Renjun lifted an eyebrow at him, clearly surprised by his answer. Well, that made two of them, Jeno thought. Renjun was just about to say something when Donghyuck squeezed in between the two of them, smiling widely. It looked like he knew exactly what he was doing, and that he was doing it on purpose. Jeno thanked him in his mind, happy he wouldn't have to continue his conversation with Renjun. 

"What are you two chatting about?" he asked, smiling widely. 

"Oh, nothing special," Renjun said, smiling at Donghyuck.

Jeno had to snort at Renjun's attitude change. Both boys turned to look at him, Renjun with a small frown, and Donghyuck with a teasing smile and raised eyebrows.

"I'm gonna go see if the others know where exactly the café is," Renjun excused himself, smiling at the two briefly before going to join the others, who were walking somewhere in the front. 

"What did Renjun want?" Donghyuck asked as soon as the other was gone. 

"Uhm," Jeno started, not sure how he was supposed to answer that. He didn't know Donghyuck that well, and he knew he was very close to Renjun, so he was afraid of saying something that would offend the other. But, at the same time, it wasn't his problem Renjun said what he said, so, he just sighed, deciding to go with the truth. "Actually, he was pretty weird, saying how Jaemin and Jiwoo are cute together, all of a sudden." 

Donghyuck laughed, throwing Jeno a look of sympathy. 

"Typical Renjun," he sighed. "He can be a little intense sometimes, but he's a good guy. The thing is, Jaemin actually met Renjun through Jiwoo, whom he was dating at the time, since Jiwoo and Yerim are best friends, and Renjun is Yerim's boyfriend." He stopped for a second, inspecting Jeno's face. "You following?"

"Yeah, yeah," Jeno confirmed, prompting the other to continue, now curious about the story. 

"Well, they became pretty close, the four of them, and a little annoying if you asked me. Nothing grosser than couples in love, right?" He chuckled, not even letting Jeno answer, before continuing: "Anyways, everything was great until Jaemin and Jiwoo broke up. Naturally, they stopped hanging out, and Renjun didn't really like that. Even though he became a part of our little crew in the process, I can tell he still misses the days it was the four of them. And now that Jaemin and Jiwoo are okay again, Renjun is sure they'll get back together soon. So, he probably sees you as a treat, that's why he was telling you that."

"Me? As a treat? Why?" Jeno asked, not even trying to hide the confusion from his voice.

Donghyuck just raised his eyebrows, looking at him pointedly. 

"Listen, I know you're used to everyone loving you wherever you go, with your pretty little face, and a cute smile, but you have to accept that not everyone always will," Donghyuck said matter-of-factly.

"I don't-," he started, ready to protest, but Donghyuck cut him off immediately. 

"It doesn't matter. Point is, give Renjun some time. He'll see that you're a good guy soon, and everything will be fine. You know, he can be a little overprotective of Jaemin," Donghyuck whispered the last part, as if he was telling him some big secret. 

"So, you're saying he's jealous Jaemin found a new friend?" Jeno asked, nodding his head in understanding. That, he actually could understand. He knew some people were very possessive of their best friends, he just didn't peg Renjun as one of them. 

Donghyuck looked at him pitifully.

"The pretty ones really are always dumb," he sighed, patting Jeno on the shoulder and walking away before Jeno could even say anything.

Jeno blinked a few times, wondering what had just happened. He didn't even have time to think about it, since they apparently already arrived to the café. As soon as they walked inside, they noticed that the others have already brought together a few tables, making place for everyone to sit. Jeno contemplated where to sit, already starting to walk towards where YangYang and Lucas were, when he noticed someone waving him over. To his surprise, it was Mark. 

"Hey Mark, what's up?" he asked when he sat next to the other.

"Hey man, nothing much. Did you guys have fun?" Mark asked, looking genuinely interested. 

"It was good, my team won actually," Jeno said proudly. 

"Ah, I was actually in the last place," Mark said, smiling sheepishly. "But we had fun. Your friend YangYang is very funny."

"Oh, yeah, he really is," Jeno said with a smile.

He was glad their two groups mixed so well with each other. His friends seemed to really like the others, and Jeno was relieved, wondering why he even worried about it in the first place. He looked around and was happy to see everyone seemed to be having fun. Lucas, YangYang, and Yuqi were talking to Hyejoo and Yerim, and they were all laughing at something loudly, and Hendery was chatting with Donghyuck, smiling from ear to ear. 

"Hey, I kind of wanted to ask you something," Mark said suddenly, shifting in his seat awkwardly. 

"Okay, sure," Jeno said confusedly, wondering what Mark could possibly ask him. 

"What did you want to tell me, back at the party? About Donghyuck and Hyunjin?" Mark asked, looking incredibly uncomfortable. Jeno just looked at him with a confused expression. "You know, the guy Donghyuck was with." 

"Oh, uhm," Jeno spluttered, finally realizing what the other was trying to say.

He paused, wondering what he should tell Mark. He cringed internally, remembering how drunk he was at the party, and his conversation with Mark that was completely out of line. It obviously wasn't any of his business who Donghyuck was interested in, and why he did what he did at the party, and he definitely shouldn't have mentioned anything about it to Mark. He decided to not get even more involved, since it wasn't really any of his business. 

"I don't remember actually," he lied, smiling at Mark apologetically. "I was really out of it that night," he added, chuckling slightly.

Mark chuckled with him, but Jeno could see that he actually looked pretty disappointed. Jeno started feeling bad for lying to him. Mark looked so confused, and a little desperate even, in Jeno's opinion, and Jeno just hated seeing him that way. 

"Well, maybe it was something about that guy, that I didn't think it was gonna go anywhere, between him and Donghyuck, you know," Jeno started, choosing his words carefully. He wanted to sound nonchalant, and make it seem like he didn't know anything more than Mark about it. "Since we were talking about Donghyuck and all."

Mark seemed to perk up at that, widening his eyes in surprise, and Jeno already felt a little better. It was obvious that Mark was hoping to get an answer like that, and was happy now that Jeno said it. 

"Oh, right. Well, I was actually thinking the same thing. I don't think they go well together, and Hyunjin is honestly a little too dramatic, so I don't think that's what Donghyuck needs." 

Jeno just nodded his head awkwardly, not sure what he was supposed to say. Then Mark laughed awkwardly, throwing Jeno an apologetic look. 

"I'm sorry. That was a bit TMI. You don't really care about any of that," Mark started. Jeno wanted to protest, but Mark didn't let him. "I guess it's just easier to talk to you about it because I don't know you that well, I don't know if that makes sense. Plus, you seem like a really good guy, so…" 

"No, I really don't mind. And I get what you mean. Sometimes it's definitely easier to talk to someone who doesn't know you that well," Jeno said thoughtfully. "So, if you ever need to talk about anything, I'm here." 

"Oh, that's nice of you. Thanks, man. Jaemin was right, you really are too good for your own good," Mark said excitedly, smiling at Jeno brightly. 

Jeno smiled back. He decided he really liked Mark. The other was honest and nice, and seemed like a really cool guy. Jeno was honestly a little surprised when he heard that Mark was interested in guys, since he didn't give off that vibe. Obviously, Jeno knew not all gay guys had to be feminine, or any of that stereotypical stuff, but he could usually always see it in people. But he definitely couldn't see it in Mark, and he would be sure Mark was straight if he didn't know better. 

"Jaemin is exaggerating, as usual," he said in the end, rolling his eyes to emphasize his point.

He subconsciously searched for Jaemin with his eyes, and found him sitting between Jiwoo and Renjun, the three of them were now laughing at something loudly. Jiwoo leaned on Jaemin as she was laughing, putting her head on his shoulder. Jeno looked away.

He didn't exactly find it weird that Jaemin was into girls as well, he just didn't really expect it. Ever since he has met Jaemin, he thought he was gay, and he never questioned it after. He wasn't really sure why it mattered since it definitely should not. He was probably just surprised. 

"I think someone wants to say hi," Mark said suddenly, nudging him with his arm, making Jeno jump a little. When he turned to look at him, he saw that Mark was smirking at him. Jeno just threw him a confused look. 

"Hey, Jeno," a girl's voice came from behind of him.

Jeno quickly turned around, surprised by the sudden presence. Hyejoo was standing behind him, smiling down at him brightly.

"Hi," Jeno said, smiling back at her. 

"We didn't get the chance to talk earlier, and I just wanted to see how you were doing," she explained, looking a little shy.

"Oh, right, you went to play air hockey. Well, you should've came with us, I was up against Jaemin and Renjun again, but I actually won this time," Jeno joked, faking a proud expression. Hyejoo laughed loudly. 

"Oh, that's a shame, we should've beaten them together," she pouted jokingly. "Luckily, my team won as well, so we're good. Since we definitely didn't want to keep losing in such important games."

"Of course," Jeno said, mocking a serious expression. 

In that moment, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He smiled at Hyejoo apologetically, getting his phone from his pocket and checking it. 

From: Ten ♾️💜

20:13

Where are you?

Call me when you can

Jeno immediately got to his feet, and walked out of the café hurriedly. He started imagining all the things Ten could be upset about, making himself worried in the process. He stopped outside of the café and quickly dialed Ten's number. 

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked as soon as the other picked up. 

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just being dramatic I guess," Ten said, chuckling humorlessly. Jeno could hear it in his voice, he knew Ten was crying, even though he tried hard to mask it. "But I just can't do it anymore, Jen. I tried being nice, I even kept my mouth shut when he said annoying shit, and you know I never do that. I knew they were supposed to leave soon, so I controlled myself. But, then they delayed it for tomorrow, and I started getting nervous. And of course, then he just had to say something again."

Ten was now definitely crying again, judging by the sound of his voice, and Jeno felt his heart break in his chest. 

"It's okay, calm down," Jeno instructed slowly, waiting until Ten's breathing regulated before continuing: "Good, now what happened?"

"It's stupid. Baek came over to stay the night, and dad started being all weird, he probably thought we were together or something." Jeno flinched upon hearing this, already knowing where the story was going. "I even jokingly told him not to worry about that, hoping he would stop. But at the end he came to me and said Baekhyun can't sleep here. It was so awkward, god. And then I lost it, and, well, the rest doesn't matter," Ten chuckled bitterly. 

"Where are you?" Jeno asked, ready to go wherever Ten was. He didn't like the idea of Ten being alone when he was going through something like this.

"No, Jeno, it's okay. I'm already headed to Taemin's," Ten answered tiredly. Jeno sighed in relief. 

"Are you sure? I can come wherever you want, I'm not doing anything important." 

"No, I'm serious. I just needed to rant to someone who understands the situation, and knows what he's like," Ten sighed, and his voice sounded a little better. He probably stopped crying, and Jeno was relieved.

"Alright," Jeno said slowly. "And Ten, you know not to believe anything he says. He just doesn't get you, and doesn't know how to speak to you. He doesn't mean anything bad by it."

"Well, too bad, because he's certainly making me feel like shit," Ten said, and Jeno could clearly hear the hurt in his voice. "Anyway, I'm at Taemin's, I'll see you tomorrow. And don't worry about me, please, I'll be fine. This happened a million times before, I know how to deal with it by now." 

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow," Jeno said softly, and then Ten hung up. 

Jeno sighed, leaning on the wall behind him. He was thankful he remembered to put his pack in his pocket, pulling a cigarette out and lighting it, enjoying the feeling of smoke filling his lungs. He knows it's a bad habit, but he just couldn't help it when he was upset. 

He suddenly wished he was better with words, feeling bad that he couldn't make Ten feel better, or help him in any way. Well, there wasn't anything he could do except maybe talk to their father, and that didn't end well whenever he tried it in the past. He fiddled with the phone in his hands, in the end deciding that he could at least write it, if he couldn't say it. 

To: Ten ♾️💜

20:47

I love you, you know that

Please, take care

He took a few drags, looking in front of himself where a small group was laughing loudly, making a few people around them look at them with disapproval. Jeno looked away, focusing on his hands instead.

From: Ten ♾️💜

20:50

😭❤️❤️❤️

Jeno smiled at his phone, happy he decided to send the text. He wasn't in a hurry to get back inside, still too preoccupied with his thoughts. He knew that Ten will be okay, but he still couldn't help but feel bad that his brother had to go through something like this. 

Sighing, he lit up another cigarette, tilting his head back as he exhaled the smoke. There weren't any stars, with the sky being too cloudy to see them, but he kept looking up anyway. It calmed him, in a way. 

“Hey, is everything okay?” he recognized Jaemin’s voice next to him.

Jeno turned to look at him. Jaemin was looking at him with an unsure expression, as if he was contemplating whether to approach him or not. Jeno imagined how he must have looked, looking at the sky dramatically, with a probably wistful expression. 

"Yeah, sure, just needed some air," he said, trying to smile as reassuringly as he could.

"Well, clearly it's not," Jaemin said matter-of-factly, looking at Jeno carefully. "It's okay if you don't want to talk to me about it, but don't lie that you're fine."

Jeno was a little taken aback, not expecting Jamein to be so direct. He cursed himself for being that easy to read. 

"Sorry, that was a bit pushy. I'll leave you alone if that's what you want," Jaemin said after a few seconds, and Jeno felt sorry about how sorry the other looked. 

"No, it's alright, you can stay," Jeno said, surprised at himself for actually meaning it. 

They stood there in silence, and Jeno was pleasantly surprised that Jaemin didn't try to break it. He just leaned on the wall next to Jeno, looking somewhere in front of himself, but Jeno could see with his peripheral vision that he had a small smile on. 

"It's just my parents," Jeno started after a few minutes. He didn't know why he suddenly felt the urge to tell Jaemin about it, but maybe it was a good thing. Both Ten and Yeeun tell him all of the time to talk about his problems more. "We had a fight, sort of. Well, not even me. More like, Ten and my dad. They're constantly fighting whenever my parents are home, but this time, it was even worse. And Ten told me they fought again, and I'm just worried about him, I guess."

"Oh, that sucks," Jaemin said, looking genuinely worried. "Is he okay?"

"He will be," Jeno said, sighing tiredly. "But I still feel bad for him, he didn't deserve it."

Jaemin paused a little, looking deep in thoughts. He probably contemplated whether to ask what they were fighting about, and Jeno hoped he wouldn't. It's not that he didn't feel comfortable talking about his problems with Jaemin, it's just that he didn't even know what Jaemin’s own experience was with his parents when it came to his sexuality. He knew it was a touchy subject, and didn't want to be inconsiderate about it. 

"Of course you're worried, I would be, too," Jaemin said, looking at Jeno with a serious expression. "With us, it was always me who fought more with our parents, but I know that every time Taeyongie did, I felt even worse."

Jeno smiled at him, glad he understood what he was feeling. Jaemin smiled back, and they both looked away, shifting their gazes in front of them. Jeno put his cigarette out, deciding to slow down with his smoking.

"You want to talk about it more, or?" Jaemin asked after a few seconds.

“No, I guess I just need a distraction, that’s all," Jeno said honestly, turning to him again.

“I can do that. So, tell me about cram school," Jaemin said, trying to keep his face serious but failing miserably. Jeno knew he was joking, since he explicitly told him when he finished with it, not to mention cram school around him ever.

“I hate you so much," he deadpaned, struggling to keep the smile from his face. 

“Somehow, I don’t believe you," Jaemin answered, smiling at him cheekily.

Jeno laughed, turning away from the other with a smile. They fell into another comfortable silence, and Jeno noticed how he really liked having Jaemin there, even if they were barely even talking. 

"Hyejoo is really nice, don't you think?" Jaemin asked suddenly, catching Jeno off guard. That was a question he certainly didn't expect. 

"Yeah, she seems really nice, why?" he asked, not able to hide the confusion from his voice.

"No reason."

Jeno lifted his eyebrows at him, and Jaemin started laughing. 

"Well, I think she might be interested in you," Jaemin started, smiling suggestively at Jeno. "And I also think you guys would look cute together."

Jeno frowned, not sure why Jaemin would say that all of a sudden. He also didn't get a feeling Hyejoo was interested, she was just nice to him, like anyone else would be. 

"Oh, I don't think she is. She's just being friendly, I guess," he said in the end.

"You're clearly very oblivious, so what you think doesn't really count," Jaemin said jokingly. 

"Well, I'm not really interested in dating right now, anyway," Jeno said awkwardly, not even sure where that came from. 

He didn't really have the time to think about dating lately if he was being honest, but it definitely wasn't something he was looking for. 

"Oh, alright then," Jaemin said slowly.

It became quiet after that, but this time, it was more of an awkward silence, and Jeno's mind drifted to Ten again. He realized he didn't really want to go back inside, and that he wasn't really feeling like chatting and having fun with his friends. 

"I think I'm gonna head home," Jeno said after a while, throwing Jaemin a tired look. He felt bad for leaving so suddenly, but he would feel even worse if he stayed, and ruined the mood for everyone else. 

"You want me to come with you? We can go somewhere and talk if you want," Jaemin said, looking at him with an understanding expression. Jeno knew he really meant it, and wasn't just saying it out of obligation, and he really appreciated it.

"But, you would probably prefer Lucas or your other friends for that," Jaemin added, looking embarrassed all of a sudden. 

"No, it's not that. Thank you for offering, really," Jeno hurried to reassure the other. "But, I think I need to be alone for a while, I don't want to bring the mood down and all that."

"Alright then," Jaemin said, nodding his head slowly. It seemed like he really tried to understand Jeno, and give him his space. "Let's go in so you could find your friends."

"But please call if you need anything," he added reluctantly after a few seconds. 

Jeno smiled at him thankfully, thinking how lucky he was to have met Jaemin. The other really seemed to care about him, even though they have only known each other for a month.

After they went inside, Jeno went straight to Lucas and YangYang, telling them he was tired and was going home. He didn't want to explain the situation to them, and burden them with his problems when they were clearly having fun. They looked at him confusedly and asked to come with, but Jeno insisted that they stayed. 

After he talked to his friends, and promised he'll call them first thing in the morning, he got ready to leave, but caught Jaemin’s worried look in the last moment. Jeno smiled at him, nodding his head reassuringly, hoping Jaemin would stop worrying about him. The other seemed to relax a little at that, although he still looked a little worried. Jeno sighed, concluding it was good enough. He turned around and walked out of the café, letting the chilly night air cool him down. 

*

Lying in his bed later that night, Jeno couldn't sleep for some reason. He had tried closing his eyes and waiting, counting in his head, everything, but somehow, he just couldn't fall asleep. He turned in his bed with a sigh, grabbing his phone from the nightstand.

Not knowing what else to do, he checked his Instagram, only to find a picture of Jaemin, Jiwoo, Renjun and Yerim on his home page. The picture was posted by Renjun half an hour ago. The four of them were in someone’s house, based on the background seen in the photo.

Jaemin had his hand around Jiwoo and Jeno had to admit they looked really cute together. He also just now noticed that Jiwoo was really pretty, with big eyes and a cute smile. Jeno turned his screen off with a fast motion, closing his eyes again.

He was glad Jaemin was interested in someone else, obviously he was. But, he somehow couldn't stop himself from wondering if the two of them were really right for each other. Jiwoo looked like someone who constantly needed attention, and with Jaemin being practically the same, Jeno honestly couldn't imagine the two of them ever being together. 

Then Jeno wondered why he was thinking about Jaemin and Jiwoo in the first place. Suddenly getting an idea, he took his phone in his hand again, sending a quick text before turning the screen off and closing his eyes, feeling like sleep would come easier to him this time.

To: Yeeun ❤️

00:17

Hey, what are you doing tomorrow? :) 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zip it, lock it down  
Sit down!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Is that why you kept staring at me?" Jaemin asked, and when Jeno turned to look at him, he saw the other smiling teasingly.
> 
> Jeno spluttered, feeling himself blush, to his horror. He hit Jaemin on the arm playfully, hoping it was too dark for him to notice how red Jeno probably was. He knew Jaemin was just teasing him, but he still felt kind of embarrassed.
> 
> "All right, while we’re complimenting each other, I didn't think anyone could pull off an all black outfit that well, but, Lee Jeno, you're full of surprises," Jaemin said, smirking at Jeno cheekily.
> 
> “Is that why you kept staring when you first saw me?” he asked in a moment of confidence, raising his eyebrow at Jaemin.
> 
> Jaemin started laughing, looking at Jeno incredulously. Jeno joined him, just happy Jaemin was smiling again.
> 
> “Oh, you’re getting good.”

Jeno stepped into his house and was immediately welcomed by the sight of his brother frantically cleaning their living room floor. He leaned against the wall, watching his brother with a confused look. Ten didn't even notice him standing there, just continuing to swing the mop in his hand with hurried motions. Jeno didn't know all that much about cleaning, but was pretty sure the other was just smearing the dirt all over the floor.

"What are you doing?" Jeno asked after a few seconds, unsure of what was going on. 

"Oh, Jeno. You're home!" his brother exclaimed, dropping the mop to the floor, the motion followed by a loud thud, and turning to Jeno with a wide smile. "I just thought I could clean a little, the house was a mess. Don't worry about it."

Jeno looked at him suspiciously. It wouldn't be such a weird sight if Ten actually cleaned sometimes. But, since that was practically the first time Jeno ever saw him clean, something felt off. Besides, Ten wasn't even home when he left the house, earlier that day, so he wasn't really expecting to find him when he got back, either. 

"When did you even get home?" 

"Oh, a few hours ago," Ten said, waving him off. He then took the mop in his hands again, and continued cleaning. "Anyways, enough about me, where were you?"

Jeno was still pretty suspicious about Ten's behavior, but decided to let it slide.

"With Yeeun, we went to that new café down the street," he answered, plopping on the couch with a content sigh, just happy to be under the AC. The heat was really starting to get to him, and he almost wanted summer to be over, even if that meant going back to school. Key word being almost, since he was still a normal human being. 

"Oh?" Ten asked, turning around and raising his eyebrows annoyingly. 

"Why does everyone have to go there?" Jeno mumbled, exasperated. "We're friends, friends hang out."

"Alright, alright, I didn't say anything," Ten said, raising his arms defensively, causing the mop to fall again. Jeno just rolled his eyes. 

Ten chuckled, turning around again and continuing with his cleaning, and Jeno just sat there and watched him for a few minutes. He started wondering if Ten's behaviour had anything to do with everything that happened in the last few days, and he sighed, wondering if he should mention anything. 

"But hey, are you okay?" Jeno asked warily, after contemplating what to say for a while. 

He didn't want to bother Ten, but he still had to know if the other was fine, especially since the last time they talked, the other was crying. 

"Yes Jen, I'm fine," Ten said, rolling his eyes dramatically.

Then he paused, looking like he just got an idea. Jeno frowned, already not liking the look of it.

"Well, maybe there is one thing you could do to make me feel better," the other continued slowly, and Jeno wondered if he was gonna regret asking. Then Ten looked at him with mischief clear in his eyes, and Jeno was absolutely sure he was gonna regret asking. 

*

"Alright, but did you have to invite every single person you know?" Jeno hissed, eyeing the new group of people that walked through their front door, not even bothering to fake a smile at them at this point.

"It's not my fault everyone likes me," Ten said cheekily, throwing Jeno a teasing smile before going to say hello to his friends. Acquaintances, more likely, since it was pretty much impossible Ten was friends with all of the people that showed up to their house in the last half an hour.

Jeno just sighed, realizing he had no other choice but to accept the situation. Obviously, he knew throwing a party at their place would be a disaster, especially since Ten was the one in charge of it, but he couldn't really deny the other something like this, after everything he went through these past few days. So, Jeno just reminded himself to suck it up, knowing that it would make Ten happy.

Having his friends there certainly should have helped, only if said friends weren't almost as bad as Ten when it came to parties. Since they rarely went to ones, when they did, they made sure to make the best out of it. Lucas, Xiao Jun, YangYang and Hendery arrived even before the party officially started, helping the two brothers set everything up. Jeno invited more people from their school, but now that he saw how many people already came, he kind of hoped not many of them would show up. Jaemin also said he would try to make it, and Jeno found that he really hoped he would.

At the sight of another huge group of people stumbling into their house, looking like they're already drunk out of their minds, Jeno decided to stop paying attention to the people who just kept arriving, deeming it was better to not know. Throwing one last disapproving look at Ten, who went back to being a host in the process, and didn't even notice Jeno's look, Jeno sighed and went to find his friends.

Thanks to Lucas's loud voice, and even louder laughter, that didn't take too long, and soon, Jeno was feeling at least a little more relaxed, with a help of Hendery's famous, by his words only, drink. 

"So, how was your date?" Lucas asked suddenly, a big smirk plastered on his face. 

Jeno groaned, wanting to punch the smirk off of the other's face. Suddenly, he was thankful Yeeun texted him an hour ago, saying she couldn't make it, knowing that his friends would be annoying and probably bother her too, like they were bothering him now. He made a point of ignoring Lucas, turning to Xiao Jun in hopes of the other getting him out of the situation, but Xiao Jun just looked at him with a teasing smile.

"Oh, you're not getting out of this," Lucas said, chuckling. "Especially since I had to hear it from Yuqi. How could you not tell me?"

"Maybe because there's nothing to tell, Lucas. We just went for a coffee to catch up, not a big deal," he said, looking at Lucas pointedly, hoping he would just let it go.

Lucas just opened his mouth to say something else, but luckily, YangYang stepped in, probably done with the topic.

"Alright, alright, stop bickering you guys, you're boring," YangYang said, rolling his eyes dramatically. “There are more important matters to discuss.”

Jeno smirked, sticking his tongue out at Lucas in a childish manner. The other just pouted, taking another gulp of his drink, but still shifting his attention to YangYang, who started talking about some girl he was sure gave him ‘the signal’. Jeno just chuckled, knowing that the girl was one of Ten’s close friends, meaning she was also in college, and probably not very interested in some high school boy who kept staring at her. But he stayed quiet, not wanting to be the one to break his spirit. Suddenly, Jeno felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

From: Jaemin

22:03  
Hey, I'll be a little late

But I promise I'm coming later

Jeno sighed, wondering why he felt that disappointed. The truth was, he kind of missed Jaemin. He knew it was ridiculous, since they saw each other not even two days ago, but they didn't exactly have a chance to talk alone the last time. And even when they did, Jeno was in a really bad mood, so it didn’t really count.

To: Jaemin

22:05  
It's okay, take your time :)

He pocketed his phone and turned his attention back to his friends just in time to hear Xiao Jun and Lucas trying to convince YangYang to approach the girl, and the other insisting it wasn’t the time yet. Hendery caught his eye, then looked down at the empty glass in front of Jeno disapprovingly. Then he yelled, catching the attention of the tree boys deep in discussion, and, embarrassingly, a few people standing close to them.

"Alright, who's ready for the next round?”

*

Time flew by fast, and, almost two hours later, Jeno had to admit he was actually having fun. Once he stopped worrying about the amount of people at their place, he started enjoying himself, and was even tempted to find Ten and tell him throwing a party was a good idea after all. It was mostly thanks to Hendery, who made sure to make him enough drinks to keep him constantly buzzed. Jeno was just in the middle of retelling a funny story about one of his teachers in cram school, who licked the chalk every time before writing with it, when he felt fingers tapping his shoulder. 

"Someone's looking for you," Ten said with a slight smirk, as soon as Jeno turned around and looked at him curiously. Jeno also noticed his eyes were glossy.

He frowned, wondering what Ten was talking about, but still followed him to their front door. He also took notice of his brother's wobbly steps, and sighed, just hoping he wouldn't have to deal with a hungover Ten the entire day tomorrow, since his brother had a habit of being extra whiny and annoying when he was hungover. 

They finally reached the entrance, and Jeno's eyes immediately landed on Jaemin, who was leaning against the wall next to their front door, looking down at his phone. Jeno smiled involuntarily, and Jaemin must have felt his eyes on him, cause in the next moment he lifted his eyes off of his phone, locking eyes with Jeno and returning the smile. Then his eyes went down Jeno's body, as if he was checking him out, and Jeno's heart started beating faster. He didn't know why Jaemin’s eyes on him made him nervous, but he couldn't help but to shift awkwardly, suddenly not knowing what to do with himself.

It was only when he heard a cough from somewhere beside Jaemin, that he finally looked away, realizing Johnny was standing next to Jaemin the entire time, watching them in amusement. Jeno smiled at him awkwardly, which Johnny reciprocated with a playful wink. Confused, Jeno turned to his brother, hoping to get some sort of an explanation. But Ten just shrugged in response, looking incredibly smug for some reason. Jeno sighed, turning back to Jaemin, who was, weirdly, still looking at him, now with an expression Jeno had trouble deciphering. 

"Okay, we'll leave you two alone," Ten said after a few seconds, barely managing to cover his laughter, and Jeno turned to glare at him. He had no idea what Ten found so funny, but he didn’t like it. But, at least Ten tried covering his laughter, which couldn't be said for Johnny, who burst into laughter as soon as Ten started speaking. Ten giggled, grabbing Johnny by the arm and starting to pull him away. "Come on Johnny, I'll show you around." 

Luckily, that seemed to snap Jaemin out of whatever trans he was in, and he smiled at Ten politely, waving Johnny away before turning to Jeno again when the other two were gone. He smiled, moving to stand closer to Jeno.

"Hey, sorry I'm late, I tried to come as soon as I could," he said, smiling at Jeno apologetically.

"No, no, it's fine. Thank you for coming, you didn't have to if you were busy," Jeno said, hoping Jaemin didn't stop doing something important because of him. "But I'm glad you did," he finished honestly.

Jaemin beamed at him, and Jeno felt his face reciprocate the smile. He thought to himself how he could never get over the effect Jaemin’s smile had on people.

"Come on, Iet’s say hi to my friends."

They started walking through Jeno's living room, and Jeno realized how he was now barely even noticing how crowded it was. He made a mental note to thank Hendery for his drinks later.

"I expected you to bring someone," Jeno commented absent-mindedly, smiling at some guy he accidentally pushed while trying to make way for Jaemin and himself.

The guy turned around and fixed Jeno with a deadly stare. He also looked like he was thirty and was definitely a part of a gang. Jeno shivered, not even wanting to know how Ten knew this guy.

"Well, I did bring Johnny," Jaemin pointed out, and Jeno was thankful for the excuse to turn away from the scary man.

"Yeah, what's up with that?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at Jaemin with a smirk.

"I actually just found out he was coming fifteen minutes ago, when I ran into him on the way here," Jaemin chuckled. "Apparently, Ten invited him.”

Jeno just hummed, wondering why Ten didn't mention anything to him. Obviously, he didn’t have to tell him everything he did, but after the talk they had about Johnny, Jeno thought it would be normal for him to at least mention something. He made a mental reminder to ask him about it tomorrow.

“And to answer your first question, my friends are all at Yerim's party," Jaemin explained, and when Jeno just continued to look at him with a confused expression, he added: "I was just there, that's why I'm late."

"You left her party so you could come to mine?" Jeno asked, stopping so he could look at Jaemin properly.

"It's fine, her party started at nine anyway, I was there long enough. Besides, I hang out with them all the time," Jaemin finished, pouting a little while he talked, making Jeno smile fondly. 

"You saw me two days ago," he pointed out, making Jaemin roll his eyes. 

"You know what I mean," Jaemin whined, hitting Jeno on the arm playfully, only making Jeno’s smile grow bigger in the process. 

"There you are!" Xiao Jun exclaimed, throwing his arm over Jeno's shoulders, making him jump in surprise. Xiao Jun only then seemed to notice Jaemin, turning to him with a confused expression. "Hi, I'm Xiao Jun."

"Jaemin, nice to meet you," Jaemin said, flashing his brightest smile.

"Oh, this is Jaemin?" Xiao Jun asked, returning the smile. "Nice to meet you, man. Are you guys coming?”

"Oh, I thought it would be Yeeun," Lucas said as soon as they arrived back to the place his friends were waiting at, sounding disturbingly disappointed.

Jeno rolled his eyes, glaring at Lucas pointedly in hopes of getting him to shut up. Beside him, Jaemin was watching their interaction curiously.

"Not that it's not great to see you again, of course," Lucas added, throwing Jaemin an apologetic smile. Jaemin just smiled back, waving him off. 

"Who's Yeeun?" Jaemin asked after greeting everyone, and Jeno groaned, burying his head in his palms. 

"Oh, it's Jeno's ex. But probably not for long, if you know what I mean," Lucas said, wiggling his eyebrows obnoxiously.

Jaemin raised his eyebrows, glancing at Jeno quickly, before turning to Lucas again and smiling in a way Jeno had no other words describing, if not awkwardly. 

"Okay, that's enough Lucas," Jeno said, and then everyone went quiet.

He realized he probably said the words a little too harshly, but he didn't exactly feel sorry. Lucas needed to learn how to take a hint, and think about what he was saying for once. Still, the situation got a little awkward after that, with Lucas laughing awkwardly and then proceeding to check something on his phone.

"Hey, do you want to show me around? Since it's my first time here," Jaemin suddenly asked, looking at Jeno hesitantly.

"Yeah, sure," he smiled at Jaemin, thankful for the distraction. Then he turned to his friends, who were all looking at him carefully. "We'll be back later.”

*

They walked in silence, slowly moving through the crowd Jeno now definitely had trouble ignoring, and he started regretting his outburst from before. Jaemin probably felt awkward after witnessing Jeno lashing out at his friend like that. He turned to look at Jaemin, finding him looking around Jeno’s living room curiously, making Jeno remember what they came here for.

“Do you want a drink?” he asked Jaemin, realizing he didn't even get to offer him a drink.

“Sure,” Jaemin smiled, but then seemed to remember something, since his face suddenly got serious. “But I’ve already drank at Yerim’s, and I don't intend on getting drunk this time. So I’ll just have one or two.”

Jeno caught his eyes, and Jaemin seemed to realize the meaning behind his words because he quickly removed his gaze, looking down at his phone instead, clearly embarrassed. Jeno frowned, hoping that Jaemin doesn't still feel bad about the whole thing, when they have already discussed it. Still, he had to admit Jaemin did have a point.

“Alright, then I won’t either,” Jeno decided, realizing that that’ll probably be a good decision. “C’mon. The kitchen is over here.”

After getting two cans of beer from Jeno's kitchen, and Jeno showing him around his house, they got to the last door on the first floor, which was Jeno’s bedroom. Jeno stopped in front of the door, making Jaemin look at him curiously. There was nothing else to show Jaemin really, and Jeno knew they should be going back to his friends, but he found that he didn’t really want to go. 

“Hey, do you want to hang in here for a while?” Jeno asked, pointing to his room.

Jaemin looked at him with wide eyes, eyes drifting from Jeno to his bedroom door repeatedly. Jeno realized how his words sounded, and spluttered, looking away from Jaemin.

“I meant on the balcony. You can get to the balcony from my room,” he clarified, suddenly feeling embarrassed by the implication of his words.

“Yeah, sure,” Jaemin said after a few seconds, throwing Jeno a small smile.

They got into Jeno’s room and Jeno started walking straight to the door that led to the balcony, but had to stop when he heard a high pitched yell from behind.

“Oh my god!”

Jeno turned around hurriedly only to find Jaemin holding a photo frame in his hands, looking at it with a huge smile. 

“This is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” he literally squealed, and Jeno rolled his eyes, even though he couldn’t help but to smile.

He walked up to Jaemin so he could look at the photo, even though he already knew exactly what photo Jaemin was looking at.

“Oh god, of course you would spot it right away," Jeno said, staring at the photo of a young Jeno smiling widely at the camera, eyes basically not even there.

“If you don’t want people to see it why do you have it in your room?” Jaemin asked, turning to look at Jeno teasingly.

“Shut up,” Jeno mumbled, snatching the frame out of Jaemin’s hand and putting it back to its place. “And I never said I didn’t want people to see it.”

"Oh, so you know what effect it has on people,” Jaemin laughed.

"Well, I was a child model, so..." he said, jokingly holding his head up.

"Of course you were," Jaemin said through laughter.

Jeno just grinned at him playfully, turning to lead them to the door.

They sat on the porch swing Ten insisted on adding to Jeno's balcony a few months ago. Jeno was now thankful for it, since it ended up looking pretty good, and turned out to be a great place for hanging out, especially on pleasant summer nights like this one.

“It’s really cute here,” Jaemin said, looking around with a small smile.

“Thanks. Ten helped me arrange it actually.”

Jaemin hummed and kept looking around, eyes lingering on Jeno's backyard, which could be seen from the balcony. It was now full of people, yelling and laughing and drinking, but, despite it, Jeno found it oddly peaceful up there.

“I’m glad to see he’s doing better,” Jaemin said after a few seconds, turning to smile at Jeno. 

“Of course he’s better now that he got to throw a party,” Jeno scoffed, taking a swig of his bear, just now remembering it was in his hand. “But yeah, I’m glad too.” 

They drifted into another comfortable silence, and Jeno took the time to observe Jaemin while the other was busy watching the people in Jeno's yard with a smile. Jeno noticed how his hair was styled out of his forehead, and he was pretty sure the other was also wearing some makeup, even though he couldn't be sure.

“And are you feeling better? You were pretty upset the last time I saw you,” Jaemin suddenly asked, turning to look at Jeno. Jeno quickly looked away, flinching, since he almost ended up being caught staring. 

“I am," he answered honestly, pretending to turn to Jaemin just then. Jaemin either didn’t notice his panic movements, or didn’t comment on it. "It was mostly because of Ten. So, now that he’s better, and my parents are gone again…" 

He trailed off, chuckling awkwardly. Jaemin seemed to have wanted to say something else, but in the end, he just smiled, turning his attention back to the backyard. He was probably giving Jeno his space, which Jeno really appreciated, even though he felt like he could actually open up to Jaemin about anything at this point.

They were both quiet for a while, watching the party that was now in full swing. Jeno watched some guy chug two cans of beer in one go, and shivered, not wishing to be in his place. He was starting to completely sober up, and he was glad. He found that he enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere much more than the dynamic one at the party.

He turned to Jaemin, seeing that the other was already looking at him with an unreadable expression. Suddenly, Jaemin’s hand was in front of his face, brushing a strand of his hair from his face, making Jeno freeze and widen his eyes in surprise.

“Sorry,” Jaemin mumbled, quickly pulling his hand away from Jeno’s face. "There was a strand of hair over your face."

Jaemin laughed awkwardly, looking embarrassed all of a sudden, and Jeno realized he didn’t like it. He didn’t like the way Jaemin seemed to always pick his words carefully around him, or the way he usually hesitated to touch him, even though Jeno knew he was touchy with all of his other friends.

"You don't have to do that," the words left Jeno's mouth before he could stop them.

Jaemin turned to him with a confused expression, but stayed quiet, waiting for Jeno’s next words. Jeno sighed, trying to think of the right words in his head, knowing that he probably shouldn't say anything, but unable to stop himself. 

"It's just, I want you to be comfortable around me," he started, looking at Jaemin with uncertainty. Jaemin lifted his eyebrows but stayed quiet again, prompting Jeno to continue. "You should say or do whatever comes to your mind, not filter everything you do." 

Jaemin just stared at him, and Jeno started wondering if he took it too far. He knew it was kind of hypocritical of him to say that to Jaemin, but he never really told the other to be careful around him, Jaemin must have thought Jeno would be uncomfortable around him, so he made that decision by himself. And at first, Jeno thought the same thing, but soon he realized that, for some reason, he could never really be uncomfortable around Jaemin.

"Alright," Jaemin said finally, still looking at Jeno with an expression he couldn't decipher. Jeno started feeling nervous under his gaze. Then, in one swift motion, Jaemin lay down on the swing, putting his head in Jeno's lap in the process.

"I'm tired," he said, shrugging, as if that would explain everything. 

Jeno blinked a few times, still trying to catch up with what just happened. When he just continued looking at Jaemin blankly, the other lifted an eyebrow at him, almost in a challenging manner, and Jeno finally snapped out of it. He smiled down at Jaemin, even though he knew it probably looked strained and awkward. Jaemin didn’t seem to mind, though, since he just left a content sigh and closed his eyes.

They stayed like that for a while, Jaemin lying with his eyes closed, and Jeno just sitting there awkwardly. He didn't know what to do with his hands, which were still awkwardly hovering in the air. He glanced down at Jaemin, his eyes focusing on his hair. He wondered if it would be as soft to the touch as it looked. He briefly thought about putting his hands in the other's hair, but dismissed the thought immediately. That would be weird, right?

Eventually, Jeno relaxed, putting his hands down on the swing, next to Jaemin's head. He looked at Jaemin again, finding him still with his eyes closed, even though he now had a small smile on his face. From this angle and with his eyes closed like that, Jeno was able to see his makeup clearly. A slight shimmer on his eyelids shined in the moonlight, and for a moment, Jeno was mesmerized by it.

"Let's play a game," Jaemin said suddenly, pulling Jeno out of his trance.

He quickly removed his gaze from Jaemin’s face, embarrassed even though Jaemin’s eyes remained closed the entire time. He scolded himself in his mind, wondering why that kept happening to him.

"Alright," Jeno said simply, not able to think of anything else to say. It's not like they had something better to do, anyways. 

"Two truths and a lie. You know it, right?" 

"I do, but that’s too much work,” Jeno groaned, not sure if he would be able to think of that many statements, let alone make them interesting. 

“Come on, it’s not like we have anything better to do,” Jaemin whined, opening his eyes to look at Jeno pleadingly. “Unless you wanna go back?”

Jaemin’s face turned serious, and he started getting up before Jeno pushed him back down with his hand.

“No, I’d rather stay here.”

Upon noticing Jaemin’s intense gaze on him, Jeno felt the need to clarify further, not for the first time this night feeling like Jaemin was looking into his soul with those eyes.

“I kind of didn’t really want this party, it was all Ten’s idea, and I didn’t have the heart to say no. So I’m more comfortable here than at the party.”

“Okay,“ Jaemin said slowly, getting comfortable again. “Then I’ll start.”

He stayed quiet for a few minutes, looking deep in thought. Then he smiled, looking up at Jeno.

"Let's see. Okay, first one, I was suspended for two weeks in elementary school for getting into a fight with a teacher, second, I've never dated a girl before, and third, I broke my leg while trying to learn an EXO choreography three years ago." 

Jeno snorted, the talk with Renjun from a few days ago coming to his mind immediately. The other two statements, which he knew were the truths, didn’t really sound that surprising, either, when you knew Jaemin.

"You've never dated a girl. That's the lie," he said confidently. 

"Okay, that's right," Jaemin pouted, looking up at him. Jeno smiled at the sight. "How did you know?”

Jeno stilled, wondering if he should tell Jaemin the truth. He knew it would probably sound weird to Jaemin that Renjun was the one who told him that, but it’s not like that was Jeno’s fault really.

"Actually, Renjun told me the other day,” he said, somehow awkwardly. 

"Of course he did," Jaemin sighed. When he noticed Jeno's confused look, he continued. "I guess he's a little overprotective when it comes to me. I'm sorry about that."

Jeno wondered why everyone said the same thing about Renjun, and what that even meant. He wanted to ask Jaemin, but he had a weird feeling he didn’t really want to know. So, he just sighed, smiling down at Jaemin.

“It’s fine. It’s not your fault.”

"Okay, your turn," Jaemin said excitedly, and based on how quickly he changed the topic, it was obvious he didn’t really want to talk about it either.

"Oh, fuck. Okay, wait." Jeno willed his brain to think of something, and then smiled when a certain memory popped up in his mind. “Alright, I got it. I once punched a guy and ended up breaking his nose. Two, I’m really scared of heights. And three, when I was six, I took my mom’s credit card and spent six hundred thousand won on toys.”

“Okay, it’s got to be punching a guy,” Jaemin said, lifting his head from Jeno’s lap and looking at him with a serious expression.

When Jeno just shook his head with a smug smile, Jaemin widened his eyes, looking at him incredulously.

“No way. Lee Jeno, the bad boy. Who would have said? Well, maybe if someone didn’t know you, just based on your appearance. You can look mean sometimes. But, since I know how much of a sweetheart you actually are...” he trailed off, smiling at Jeno teasingly.

Jeno rolled his eyes, glaring at Jaemin playfully.

“To be fair, it was in fifth grade, and I didn’t mean to punch him that hard. Also, I ended up crying afterwards,” he clarified, chuckling at the memory. “He did deserve it, though.”

“What did he do?” Jaemin asked, looking up at Jeno curiously.

Jeno fidgeted with his hands, feeling awkward all of a sudden. He could still remember the boy’s face when he called Ten that word in front of Jeno’s whole class. Jeno remembered getting so mad that he saw red. It was the first and the last time he has ever gotten so mad in his life. But he wasn’t sorry. If a person was able to say that about another person, and even dare to do it in front of their brother, they deserved to get punched in the face.

“He said a mean thing about Ten,” he ended up saying, not looking Jaemin in the eyes. “Okay, your turn now.”

"Hmmm… Okay, I got it. First one, I’m lactose intolerant, second, I used to live in Italy for a year, and third, I’ve never been in love.”

"Alright, I see we’re getting deep,” Jeno joked. “I don’t know, maybe that you’ve never been in love.”

"Nope. I've never lived in Italy,” Jaemin said cheekily.

Jeno wondered why Jaemin had never been in love when he knew he had been in a relationship before, but again, he knew it was a personal thing, so he didn’t feel like he should ask.

“Your turn,” Jaemin said, interrupting his train of thoughts.

“Alright, let me think of something,” Jeno said, looking up to the sky, hoping something would just come to his mind. “First one, I’ve never gotten anything less than an A in school, second, one time I didn’t leave my room for ten hours because of a game I was playing, and third, when I was five Ten accidentally broke my arm while we were playing.”

“Of, fuck. This is hard,” Jaemin said, scrunching up his face in thought. “I’ll go with the first one, there’s just no way that you’ve never ever gotten anything else.”

“Okay, you’re right. But it’s close to that, actually. I’ve only gotten a B once.”

“How is that even possible?” Jaemin asked, clearly perplexed.

“Well, I didn’t really have the time to study, and-”

“You know what I mean!” Jaemin interrupted him, hitting his arm playfully.

Jeno laughed, dodging Jaemin’s hand in the last second.

“I don’t know. I just study, I guess,” Jeno shrugged, not knowing what else was there to say on the topic.

“Do your parents pressure you to have good grades?”

“No, no, I just don’t mind studying,” Jeno said quickly, before stopping to think about it. “I mean, I don’t know. I guess they do a little, maybe. It’s more like they kind of expect me to be good at everything.”

Jaemin slowly lifted into a sitting position, turning to Jeno with a curious expression.

“I mean, it’s not like they would get mad if I get a B or something. And, like I said, I don’t really mind studying,” Jeno finished awkwardly, feeling exposed with Jaemin’s intense gaze on him.

“But do you feel pressured to always do well?” Jaemin asked, looking at him carefully.

“I mean, maybe,” Jeno said, shrugging. He never really thought about it much, just told himself that he should get good grades, both for himself and his parents. “I guess it’s because Ten chose to major in dance, so in their heads, I’m all they have left.”

“Oh, so they don’t support him?”

“No. They still pay for his tuition and everything. But no, they definitely don’t support him.”

“That sucks,” Jaemin said, looking lost in his thoughts.

“It does. That’s one of the reasons they keep fighting,” Jeno admitted. 

Jaemin just hummed, and Jeno pulled a pack out of his pocket, suddenly feeling a need for a cigarette. He just took a drag of his cigarette when Jaemin spoke again.

“You know, I’m not really interested in girls.”

Jeno turned to look at him wide-eyed, understandably, since he wasn’t exactly expecting Jaemin to say something like that. Jaemin wasn’t looking at him, but somewhere in front of himself, his expression serious.

“You’re the third person I’ve told, actually,” he chuckled nervously.

Jeno tried to gather his thoughts and say something, not wanting to seem like he didn’t care about what the other was telling him, he just had trouble with thinking of what to say.

“But what about Jiwoo?” he asked, that being the first thing that came to his mind.

Jaemin sighed, putting his head in his hands. It was obvious he found it hard to talk about, and even though Jeno had no idea why he was telling him this now, he was happy Jaemin trusted him enough to open up about something so big.

“Yeah, well, in the beginning I really thought I liked her. She was nice, pretty, interesting, we clicked really well, so I thought that was it,” he paused, glancing at Jeno quickly, before looking away again. “She was actually the one who pointed it out, and asked me openly. I remember being so shocked when she did, since I never actually let myself question it before.”

“Oh,” Jeno said, not able to think of anything else to say.

“I still haven’t told any of my friends. Only she and Taeyong know,” he added quietly. Then he turned to Jeno and smiled weakly. “Well, and now you. I guess I’m kind of scared of telling people. And you could be thinking that it's ridiculous since they already know I like guys, but I just have a feeling it'll be different. That people would see me differently.”

Jeno felt his heart speeding up because of Jaemin’s words. He could weirdly relate to him, even though he never experienced anything like it before. But he could see why Jaemin would have a problem telling his friends, especially Renjun, who apparently wanted Jaemin to make up with Jiwoo more than anything. He also felt weird seeing this different side of Jaemin, the one where he was insecure and worried about what others thought of him, and he didn’t like seeing him like that, since that wasn’t who Jaemin was.

“I don’t think it’s ridiculous,” Jeno said honestly, waiting for Jaemin to look at him before continuing. “It makes sense actually, and I think it’s normal for you to feel this way. And, I mean, I obviously don’t know your friends that well, but I honestly can’t imagine them being anything but supportive of you.”

“Yeah, the worst is that I know that, too. But I just can’t bring myself to tell them,” Jaemin said, looking so sad that Jeno just wanted to make him smile again.

“I get it. And you shouldn’t tell them yet if you don’t feel comfortable with it.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

Jeno wished he was better with words, so that he could say something actually helpful, or comfort Jaemin somehow. He was glad Jaemin trusted him enough to tell him something like this, and he felt like he didn’t show him that. But, seeing a small smile that was now on Jaemin’s face, he thought how he might have done an okay job after all.

They stayed in silence for a while, lost deep in their thoughts, just enjoying the chilly night. Jeno’s eyes slowly drifted back to Jaemin, and he caught the wind going through his honey colored hair, making the strands of it go in different directions.

"Did I ever tell you that I really like your hair?" Jeno asked suddenly, leaning his head back and looking up at the sky. He felt Jaemin’s eyes on him, so he explained further. "It was actually the first thing I noticed when we met, and I remember being jealous because I would never be able to pull it off." 

"Is that why you kept staring at me?" Jaemin asked, and when Jeno turned to look at him, he saw the other smiling teasingly.

Jeno spluttered, feeling himself blush, to his horror. He hit Jaemin on the arm playfully, hoping it was too dark for him to notice how red Jeno probably was. He knew Jaemin was just teasing him, but he still felt kind of embarrassed.

"All right, while we’re complimenting each other, I didn't think anyone could pull off an all black outfit that well, but, Lee Jeno, you're full of surprises," Jaemin said, smirking at Jeno cheekily.

“Is that why you kept staring when you first saw me?” he asked in a moment of confidence, raising his eyebrow at Jaemin.

Jaemin started laughing, looking at Jeno incredulously. Jeno joined him, just happy Jaemin was smiling again.

“Oh, you’re getting good.”

“You know, I really am glad you told me. And I’m sorry I couldn't be of any more help,” Jeno said after a while, looking at Jaemin apologetically.

“I honestly don’t know why I did. It just came out,” Jaemin chuckled. “I guess it’s because I trust you. And don’t say that, you were helpful. I actually feel a lot better.”

“Well, that’s good to hear.”

They smiled at each other, and Jaemin looked away, seemingly embarrassed. Jeno smiled to himself, enjoying whenever he would catch Jaemin in this state, shy or embarrassed, since it wasn’t a common sight.

“Should we get going?” Jaemin asked after a few more minutes, pulling Jeno out of his thoughts.

Jeno didn’t really want to go, but he knew it was probably really late, and his friends were probably wondering where he was. He hasn’t dared to check his phone ever since they got there, knowing that at least one of his friends probably tried calling him or texted him. So he just nodded, getting up and smiling at Jaemin.

“Let’s go.”

Turned out, his friends didn’t really care that much that he was gone, just assuming he went somewhere with Jaemin. Jaemin and him found them gathered in Jeno’s backyard with a few more people from Jeno’s class, laughing at something loudly. The second he spotted them, Lucas excitedly waved them over.

“You won’t believe it! YangYang actually managed to get that girl’s number. Crazy, right? Isn’t she like, in college?”

Jeno laughed, glad to see his friends were having fun, especially since he felt bad for not spending time with them, even though it was practically his party.

“Yeah, I think she’s Ten’s age. Did you even tell her how old you are?” Jeno laughed, raising an eyebrow at YangYang.

“Maybe,” YangYang said unconvincingly. 

“Man, you’re screwed when she finds out,” Xiao Jun laughed, patting YangYang’s back in what was probably supposed to be a comforting manner, but didn’t really look like it.

Jeno just sighed, throwing YangYang a disapproving look, although he couldn’t really stop himself from laughing at his best friend's foolishness.

They stayed like that for a while, just talking and laughing together, and Jeno was glad to see Jaemin fitting with his friends perfectly. It’s not like he doubted him, anyways, since he knew Jaemin got along with anyone he met.

“Hey J, we’re leaving,” Lucas said at one point, throwing Jeno an apologetic look. “See you tomorrow?”

“Sure,” he smiled at his friend, feeling bad for his outburst from earlier, even though he knew Lucas won’t hold it against him, and has probably already forgotten about the whole thing.

He showed his friend out, only then taking the time to check his phone, stunned when he saw it was already half past three in the morning. He must have stayed with Jaemin longer than he thought, since it couldn't have been more than half an hour since the two of them came down and joined his friends.

Luckily, there weren’t too many people left in his house, and soon, the only person left was Jaemin, who insisted on staying to help him get everyone out, since Ten disappeared some time ago, and no one was able to find him. Fortunately for them, that wasn’t so hard to do, given that most people were already gone by the time Jaemin and him came down from his room.

“Alright, I think it’s time for me to head off, too,” Jaemin said after they brought everything from Jeno’s backyard inside.

Jeno told Jaemin he could do it alone multiple times, but the other insisted on helping him, so Jeno didn't really have a choice but to let him. He turned to look at Jaemin, taking notice of how tired he looked, realizing he would feel bad if he let him go home by himself.

“Hey, do you want to stay over?”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll just get a cab,” Jaemin waved him off, already starting to get his things.

“No, really. You can sleep in my parent’s room. It’s already past four, I’m not letting you go alone when you can just crash here.”

Jaemin looked at him with an uncertain expression. He seemed to debate it for a few seconds, before finally nodding.

“Okay, if you’re sure,” he said slowly, giving Jeno a small smile.

*

When Jeno woke up the next morning, he was instantly welcomed by the smell of pancakes, making him emerge from his room in record time. He followed the smell to his kitchen, shocked to find Jaemin standing there, with his back turned to Jeno, and a whisk in his hand.

"Are you making breakfast?" Jeno asked, looking at the sight in front of him incredulously.

Jaemin turned around, flashing him a big smile. He was standing in front of a stove in Jeno’s kitchen, cooking something in a pan.

"Oh, yeah. I hope you don't mind. I woke up early, so I wanted to make use of the extra time." 

"Oh I definitely don't mind," Jeno said hurriedly, taking a seat at one of the chairs. As if on cue, his stomach grumbled, making both boys laugh.

"Do you guys not cook usually?" Jaemin asked, turning back to his cooking again.

"Not really, honestly. Ten cooks sometimes, but he’s not very good at it. And I’m just too lazy to do it,” he admitted, smiling at Jaemin sheepishly, even though the other had his back at him.

Jaemin just hummed, moving to grab something from Jeno’s fridge and then proceeding to chop it on the board. Jeno silently watched him work, smiling to himself. Another thing he liked about Jaemin was how he never hesitated to do something when he wanted to do it, even though some people might see it as rude. Just how he was now rummaging through Jeno’s kitchen freely.

"Is Ten up?" Jeno asked, suddenly remembering that he didn’t see his brother since the beginning of the party yesterday.

"I don't think so, I haven't seen him,” Jaemin said, turning to Jeno and shrugging.

As if on cue, Johnny walked into the kitchen, yawning and stretching his arms above his head.

“Do I smell pancakes?” he asked, either not noticing, or ignoring the shocked looks two boys were giving him.

“What are you doing here?” Jaemin asked, voicing exactly what Jeno was thinking.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Johnny said cheekily, winking at Jaemin.

“I stayed to help with cleaning after the party,” Jaemin explained, giving Johnny a look Jeno couldn’t really understand.

Jeno just kept looking from Johnny to Jaemin, confused about what was going on. He had a feeling he didn't really want to know why Johnny spent the night there. In that moment, Johnny turned to him, throwing him an awkward smile.

“Hey, sorry if I’m in the way. Ten’s still asleep. I was just thirsty,” Johnny explained, probably noticing Jeno’s confused look.

“Oh, it’s no problem,” Jeno smiled at him politely.

Johnny still didn’t say why he was there, but Jeno knew better than to ask again. Johnny returned the smile, sitting across from Jeno after getting a glass of water. Soon, Jaemin joined them with a big plate of pancakes in his hands. Jeno practically felt his mouth watering at the sight.

“This is so good,” he said after getting a mouthful of pancakes. “How do you know how to cook this good?”

"These are pancakes, Jeno. It literally doesn't get simpler than this," Jaemin laughed.

"Well, they don't taste so good when Ten makes them," Jeno mumbled, hoping Ten wouldn't choose that moment to walk into the room.

Jaemin just laughed loudly at that, Johnny joining him a second later.

After Ten showed up, firstly staring at the scene of the three of them eating and laughing together in shock, they all had breakfast and Jeno had to admit it wasn’t as awkward as he would expect it to be. After they finished eating, Ten announced him and Johnny were going out somewhere. Jaemin and Jeno exchanged looks, but stayed quiet.

*

"Can you pass me the strawberry ones?"

They were sitting in Jeno's living room, watching dumb TV movies Jaemin insisted on watching. His idea turned out to be pretty good, since they had more fun making fun of the main characters’ bad acting, poorly written dialogues and predictable plots than watching the actual movies.

"Get it yourself, it's not like I can move," Jeno whined overdramatically.

In his defense, he really didn’t think he could move after eating the amount of food he did in the past few hours. Jaemin glared at him, but stayed where he was, probably deciding it wasn’t worth actually moving. 

"I still can't believe Johnny's dating your brother," Jaemin said after a while, sighing dramatically.

"Dating?" Jeno asked, confused by Jaemin’s words. "Who said they're dating?" 

"Well, they probably are. They said they were going out. If it was a one night stand they wouldn't be going out. Especially not the day after they-" 

"Don't finish that!" Jeno said hurriedly, jumping to cover Jaemin’s mouth with his hand. “Why do you think something happened?”

Jaemin laughed, removing Jeno’s hands off of his face.

“He slept over, Jeno,” he said, looking at him pointedly.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Jeno scoffed. At this point, he was aware he was saying things only so he could convince himself, not Jaemin. “You stayed over.”

“Well, I didn’t stay in your room, did I?” Jaemin asked, smirking at Jeno.

“Alright, we’re done with this topic!” Jeno said loudly, only causing Jaemin to laugh even harder.

“Hey,” a voice said suddenly, causing both of them to jump in surprise. Jeno looked in the direction of the voice, finding Lucas in his living room, looking at the two of them with a strange expression. “Sorry, I just let myself in, didn’t know you had company.”

Jeno then realized how close to Jaemin he still was, quickly standing up and walking towards Lucas, smiling at him.

"No, it's fine. I wasn't expecting you this early,” he said, sharing a fist bump with Lucas in greeting.

“Oh, I was just bored and wanted to see if you were free,” Lucas explained. “Besides, it’s already six.”

Jeno turned to look at Jaemin, finding him already staring at him with wide eyes. He had no idea it was already that late.

"Fuck, I didn’t know it was that late,” he laughed.

Lucas just laughed, sitting next to Jaemin on Jeno’s couch, flashing him a big smile. Jaemin smiled back, greeting Lucas before taking his phone and proceeding to type something on it.

“Jaemin stayed over so he wouldn't have to take a cab," Jeno explained, only then realizing that his explanation didn't really make sense, and that he didn't really need to explain anything.

"Oh, alright," Lucas smiled. "Do you guys wanna do anything? Or I could come back later, if you were already doing something -"

He started, only to get cut off by Jaemin. 

"Actually, I should definitely get going. I didn't realize it was already six. Taeyong asked where I was two hours ago,” he said, looking at Lucas apologetically.

"Alright man, I'll see you around," Lucas said, smiling at Jaemin.

"I'll walk you out," Jeno said, following Jaemin to his front door.

After Jaemin left, with Jeno promising to let him know if the girl in the movie chose to stay in her hometown, with the guy or go back to the big city and her important job, Jeno and Lucas just continued watching the movie, too lazy to do anything else. 

"You and Jaemin seem pretty close," Lucas commented suddenly, not taking his eyes off the TV.

Jeno turned to look at him, surprised by the comment. He knew why Lucas probably said it, since Jeno was aware that he did act differently with Jaemin, but he didn’t know what the other meant by it. It's just that, Jaemin was different. Jeno didn't know in which way exactly, but he could definitely say he was different from his other friends.

"What do you mean?" he asked, taking notice of the way his voice sounded defensive.

"No, I don't mean it in a bad way. It's just weird. I guess I've never seen you click with someone that well. Especially not that fast," Lucas explained quickly, looking at Jeno carefully.

"I guess we do get along pretty well," Jeno said, thinking about it quickly. “But, you’ve also met him, he pretty much gets along with everyone.”

Lucas seemed to think about it for a little, before just smiling at Jeno and nodding slowly.

“Yeah, I guess it’s that,” he said in the end. Then he looked like he remembered something, throwing Jeno an excited look. “How did you even meet him? You’ve never told me.”

Jeno froze, not expecting the question. He realized he really never told Lucas about the way he and Jaemin met, and found that he didn’t know what to tell him. He paused, thinking about what to say, not wanting to lie to him, but also feeling weird with telling him the whole story.

“Oh, we met in a pub,” he said in the end, keeping his voice neutral.

“In a pub?” Lucas asked, raising his eyebrows at Jeno.

Jeno realized the answer probably sounded weird to Lucas, and struggled to find the right words to explain further. Then he remembered how it all started, and sighed in relief, happy he didn’t have to lie to his friend.

“Yeah, the waiter bothered them since they were underage, so I ordered for them,” he said, smiling at the memory.

“Oh, that's a funny way to meet someone,” Lucas said in the end, laughing and turning back to the TV.

Jeno just laughed with him, although he couldn't shake a sense of uneasiness that slowly creeped up on him.

“Hey, I’m sorry if I went overboard yesterday. About Yeeun and all,” Lucas added after a few minutes, looking at Jeno apologetically.

Jeno turned to look at him, surprised by the sudden apology. He wasn’t exactly expecting Lucas to say anything about it, and he himself has even forgotten about the whole thing.

“No, it’s fine, I’m sorry for snapping at you.”

“You had every right to. You told me to stop, and I just kept mentioning it,” Lucas said, still looking incredibly sorry, even if it wasn’t just his fault.

“Well, I overreacted, too,” Jeno insisted, but Lucas just smiled, waving him off.

“It’s already forgotten.”

They went back to watching the movie, Lucas laughing and commenting every few minutes, but for some reason, Jeno couldn’t really focus on the movie anymore. He kept thinking back to Lucas asking him how he met Jaemin and he wondered why he couldn’t tell him everything. He realized it would feel like he was sharing something that’s personal to Jaemin, and he felt like it would be the wrong thing to do.

Besides, it’s not like it mattered anyway, since Jaemin and him now moved on from the whole thing, and were comfortable around each other. But, he wondered, if it didn't even matter anymore, why did he have trouble telling Lucas about it? On top of that, all of Jaemin’s friends knew, so he knew Jaemin didn't have a problem with it. The question was, why did he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's your name is this?


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What?" Jeno asked dumbly, not knowing what else to say.
> 
> "Are you nervous now?" Jaemin asked, tilting his head to the side, still looking at Jeno with that look. 
> 
> They were close, too close, and Jeno could see every line of Jaemin's face clearly, even with how dark it was outside.

The next few days went by in a blur. Jeno spent most of his time hanging out with his friends, the five of them basically just laying around whoevers house was free, stuffing their faces with unhealthy food and playing games or watching TV. He also met up with Doyoung who was, for some reason, disturbingly happy when he found out that Jeno stayed in contact with Jaemin, and then made Jeno promise him he’ll invite Jaemin the next time they hang out. Jeno wasn’t even surprised anymore, having accepted that Jaemin just had that effect on people. Jaemin and him texted every day, which by now, became a usual occurrence. All in all, it was a pretty normal and uneventful week.

What wasn’t so normal, and made Jeno very annoyed, was the fact that he constantly found his thoughts drifting to his conversation with Lucas, and, with that, to the whole Jaemin thing. He didn’t even know what exactly he was bothered with, since it wasn’t like Lucas even mentioned Jaemin after that day, and Jaemin and him were just fine, but that didn’t stop Jeno from feeling uneasy whenever his thoughts drifted in that direction. Maybe it was the fact that Lucas commented about his relationship with Jaemin in the first place that made him second guess the normalcy of their relationship. Deep down, even he knew he was overreacting, and that there was no right way you should behave with someone, but he still couldn't help but to think about it. 

He even ended up talking to Ten about it, which just showed how desperate he really was. Either way, that conversation just ended with his brother telling him that he was an idiot for overthinking such a stupid thing that much, and that if he was fine with his relationship with Jaemin before Lucas mentioned it, that was all that mattered. Jeno just rolled his eyes and called him useless.

He was currently sitting in his room, staring blankly at the wall, knowing damn well that he won’t be able to sleep if he laid down, since he wasn't able to for the last few nights in a row. His thoughts, once again, kept him preoccupied. In the end, being too tired to keep thinking, he decided Ten was right, and that he was just an idiot for overthinking such a stupid thing. He sighed, ready to finally put an end to the whole thing, and finally get some sleep, when his phone vibrated from his table, startling him. 

From: Jaemin

03:16  
Hey, just so you know, a few of us are going to my parent’s cabin this weekend for my birthday  
Hope you’re free

Jeno stared at the messages for a few seconds before snorting ungracefully. Of course Jaemin would send him a text the minute he decided to stop thinking about him. Well, not really him, but the whole thing about him. Also, he had no idea it was Jaemin’s birthday soon. Well, to be fair, he really had no way of knowing, so it wasn't like it was a problem.

To: Jaemin

03:19  
Sure!  
Btw, couldn't you wait till the morning to ask me hahah  
Why are you still awake?

From: Jaemin

03:19  
Great, can't wait!!  
Oh, I couldn’t sleep  
Also, you don’t get to say anything, you’re awake too

To: Jaemin

03:20  
Right, well me neither  
Just thinking about some things

From: Jaemin

03:21  
About me? 😏

Jeno sputtered, not expecting Jaemin’s answer to be, well, that. Jaemin did kind of go back to his usual self with Jeno after their talk, but he didn't exactly joked like this. Jeno found that he didn't really mind it though.

To: Jaemin

03:24  
Right, I'm going to bed

The reply came almost immediately, making Jeno basically choke on air when he read it. 

From: Jaemin

03:24  
Oh, I didn’t know it was that kind of texting  
But I'm down ;)

Well, if Jeno blushed before, he knew that now his whole face was probably on fire. To be fair, he did kind of walk right into that one. 

To: Jaemin

03:26  
JAEMIN

From: Jaemin

03:26  
KIDDING jesus  
You’re really no fun 😒

To: Jaemin

03:26  
Goodnight Jaemin!

From: Jaemin

03:27  
Night  
Don’t dream about something you shouldn’t ;)

Jeno just sighed, deciding to not even grace Jaemin with a response. And even though he was surprised by Jaemin's texts, and didn't exactly know how to feel about them, he still lay in his bed with a smile on his face, and fell asleep faster than he did in a long time. 

*

Almost a week later, Jeno found himself standing in front of his own house, waiting for Jaemin’s brother to pick him up, with a worried looking Ten pacing around in front of him nonstop. Jeno sighed, biting his tongue, since he knew it was better not to say anything if he wanted to avoid another one of Ten's outbursts.

"And call as soon as you get there," Ten said suddenly, stopping in front of Jeno to give him a stern look. 

"Yes, like I've said three times already, I'll call you."

"Alright, and if anything happens, no matter how bad it is, just call and I'll come pick you up." 

"It's not the first time I'm going somewhere by myself, god. And it will just be a few of Jaemin’s friends, we'll be fine," Jeno said incredulously, rolling his eyes at his brother's ridiculousness. 

Ten just looked at him expectedly. 

"Yes, yes, I'll call."

"And-" 

To Jeno's luck, Ten's last sentence got stuck in his mouth when a car pulled over in front of them, making both of them look in its direction. After a second, Taeyong got out of the car, smiling at them, and then started to walk their way. Jeno greeted him with a polite smile, then turned to his brother. 

"Remember everything I told you, alright?" Ten asked hurriedly. 

"Yes, yes. I'll see you in two days," Jeno said, rolling his eyes, but still hugging Ten briefly before starting to move towards the car, knowing his brother will bother Taeyong for at least ten more minutes.

“Hey, could you just give me the exact address of the cabin, Jeno didn't know it, so…"

He heard Ten starting his questioning, and picked up his pace. As soon as he stepped closer to the car, he noticed Jaemin sitting in the back seat, eyes glued to his phone, a slight frown on his face. Jeno knocked on the window to get his attention, making Jaemin quickly look up, changing his demeanor completely upon seeing Jeno. Jeno relaxed immediately after seeing Jaemin’s usual bright smile. Jaemin opened the door, then moved to the side, patting the spot next to him.

"Hey," Jeno said when he sat beside him, closing the door behind himself.

"Hey. What are they talking about?" Jaemin asked, eyeing Ten and Taeyong curiously. 

"Don't remind me. Ten has been panicking since yestwrday, I don't know what's gotten into him. It's not like it's the first time I'm going somewhere by myself for a few days."

"Well he has a point, we are a pretty badass crew. Just wait to see the amount of cocaine Mark's bringing," Jaemin said with a completely straight face.

They looked at each other for a few seconds before Jeno burst out laughing. Something about the picture of Mark with drugs was probably the funniest thing Jeno had thought about in a while. A second later, Jaemin joined him, not managing to keep a straight face any longer. 

"I'm so excited we're going. I haven't been there since last summer, too busy with school," Jaemin said after they calmed down, rolling his eyes dramatically when he mentioned school.

Jeno didn't even get a chance to answer him, before Jaemin leaned over him in one quick motion, opening a window on Jeno's side and putting his head through it. Jeno just looked after him confusedly. 

“Come on! Renjun is waiting for us,” Jaemin whined loudly at the two boys who were still talking, making them both turn towards him, Ten with a confused, and Taeyong with what looked like an annoyed, but somehow still fond, expression. 

Jeno just smiled at Jaemin’s antics, until the meaning of Jaemin’s words clicked in his mind. He couldn’t help but feel disappointed upon finding out that Renjun will be in a car with them. Out of everyone, it had to be Renjun, the only person out of all of Jaemin’s friends who had an obvious problem with Jeno.

Jaemin didn't seem to pick up on his mood change and just got back to his seat with a content smile. Jeno watched Taeyong smile at Ten, then shaking his hand awkwardly, before walking to the car and getting into the driving seat.

"Alright, are you guys ready?" 

After they picked Renjun up, they finally began their trip. It also turned out that Jeno's reaction to Renjun riding with them was justified, since the second Renjun got in the car, he flashed Jeno an annoyed look. Jeno just sighed, thankful that at least Renjun was sitting in the front, and he didn't have to have any contact with him. 

“How long is the drive gonna last?" he asked, praying the answer will be something in the lines of, 'oh, just half an hour', although he knew that, realistically, that probably wasn't an option. 

"Around four hours if we don't take any breaks," Taeyong answered, throwing him a quick look through the rear-view mirror. 

Jeno nodded, gulping loudly. Alright, that wasn't that bad. He could work with that. 

"Are Mark and the rest on their way?" Jaemin asked Renjun, who took his eyes off his phone for the first time since he got in the car, and turned to look at Jaemin from his seat.

"Mark said they're still waiting for Donghyuck to get ready," Renjun answered with an unimpressed expression.

"Fucking Donghyuck, always the same shit with him," Jaemin mumbled with no real bite to his words. 

"Language," Taeyong mumbled, throwing a disapproving look at Jaemin through the rear-view mirror.

Jaemin completely ignored his brother in favor of glaring at Renjun as if he was responsible for Donghyuck being late. 

"Whatever. Just tell them they better be there not more than half an hour after us, or they will sleep outside."

Everyone got quiet after that, Renjun probably going back to texting someone on his phone, Taeyong humming softly, eyes fixed on the road, and Jaemin looking at some video on his phone. Jeno sighed, getting comfortable in his seat, and turning to look through the window, for the lack of anything better to do.

It was a gloomy day, not exactly rainy, but not sunny either - the perfect word to describe it probably being muggy. Jeno found that he didn't really mind, he even preferred it actually, with the weather being almost unbearably hot for the last few days. He just hoped it wouldn't ruin their plans, since he realized he had no idea what they were actually going to be doing, and if Jaemin had any plans at all.

Fifteen minutes into the ride, Jeno felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned to see Jaemin offering him one of his headphones, a questioning look on his face. Jeno blinked a few times, before finally nodding slowly, accepting Jaemin’s offer and reaching to take the headphone.

Jaemin played the video again, tilting his screen towards Jeno, so he could see it better. Jeno wasn't surprised when he saw that the video Jaemin was watching was a compilation of super weird and cute animal friendships. Yes, that was the actual title of the video. Jeno smiled fondly, remembering countless times that Jaemin sent him videos like this one, insisting that Jeno had to watch them. Not like Jeno minded of course, because who could really resist a sight of a cat and a bunny hugging?! 

After a few minutes, Jeno felt a sudden weight on his shoulder, and when he turned towards Jaemin, he saw that his head was now leaned on Jeno's shoulder. Jeno felt his heart speed up as he forced himself to keep looking at the video, not wanting Jaemin to pick up on his weird behaviour. For some reason, Lucas's words came to his head. He tried to convince himself it was only natural, and that he would react that way if any of his other friends did it as well. 

But then again, it's not like any of his friends would casually put their head on his shoulder. God, he's been through this so many times already, it was starting to get really annoying. Jaemin was just affectionate, and Jeno just wasn't used to it. That was all. It was a normal reaction, everything was-

"Hey, are you okay?"

Jaemin's voice broke his train of thoughts, and he noticed Jaemin no longer had his head on his shoulder, and was now looking at him with a worried expression. 

"Yeah, sure. Just spaced out," Jeno answered, smiling at the other, while trying to sound as convincing as possible.

Jaemin eyed him suspiciously for a few more seconds, before finally nodding and getting back to his previous position. Jeno was thankful Jaemin didn't pull away, because even if he reacted this way to the their close proximity, he didn't really want Jaemin to stop. He actually wanted to get used to it enough that the next time Jaemin did something as small as this, he didn't have to go through another internal crisis.

Eventually, he relaxed again, and even managed to enjoy the video they were now watching. Both him and Jaemin got so immersed in the video, that they only noticed the car stopped when Renjun turned and slapped Jaemin’s thigh loudly, making Jaemin jump up, and Jeno look up from the phone quickly. 

"Taeyong said to text him if you needed anything from the store."

Jeno then looked through the window and noticed they stopped at the gas station. He spotted Taeyong getting into the small store in front of them. Jeno wondered if he should get coffee and go for a smoke. He suddenly felt an urge to have a cigarette, although it was probably more to get out of the car than the actual need for a cigarette.

In the end, he concluded it was too much of an inconvenience to go and search for a place far enough from the gas station to light up his cigarette, since smoking was of course prohibited near the gas station. He turned around and tuned in again just in time to hear Jaemin’s question directed at him. 

"...and a bag of chips, you know, those bacon ones. Jeno, you want anything?"

He just shook his head awkwardly, suddenly aware that both boys were watching him intently. He had to admit he felt pretty awkward with Renjun being there, and wanted to avoid talking to him for as long as possible. So, he made sure to not even look at the guy. 

"By the way, Chenle said they finally got going half an hour ago," Renjun said suddenly, after inspecting his phone again. 

"Oh my god! With Mark's driving, they will be there at least two hours after us. I'm gonna kill them." 

"Good thing for them Taeyong is only mildly faster than Mark, and goes seventy kilometers per hour instead of Mark's sixty," Renjun said, snickering at his own joke.

"That's not true," Jaemin said in a serious tone, frowning at Renjun. "At one point he even got to seventy-five."

Then they proceeded to snicker together, leaving Jeno to just stare at them in amusement. He didn't get to see this side of Renjun before, where he was relaxed and joking, instead of looking pissed off and glaring at him. It was a nice change. 

"By the way, I'm totally telling Taeyong you said that," Jaemin said cheekily after they've calmed down. 

"Tell him and I'll tell him about the time you threw up on his bed last year."

Renjun didn't even blink when he said it, approximately a second after Jaemin finished his sentence, leaving Jeno to wonder just how often they bickered like this. 

"I hate you," Jaemin dead-panned. "Anyway, tell Chenle to let Mark know he better hit the gas if he wants a place to sleep in tonight." 

Renjun snorted and turned back to his phone, probably delivering Jaemin’s message to Chenle. They got quiet again after that and Jeno found himself realizing that he didn't even know who else was going. Well, he knew that Mark was obviously going, Donghyuck, and now Chenle. He also guessed that probably meant Jisung as well, since he remembered Jaemin telling him they've all been a crew since they were younger. There are probably going to be some girls too, possibly the ones Jeno has already met, since they all seemed pretty close. 

"Hey, who else is going?" he asked Jaemin. 

"Oh, I never told you?" Jaemin asked, surprise evident on his face. "Actually, just Mark, Donghyuck, Chenle and Jisung beside us." 

Jeno was a little surprised not more people were going. Weirdly, it was Renjun who probably saw his expression and decided to explain. 

"It's sort of a tradition for us. Whenever we get the time we go up to the cabin and hang out. When we were little, we made a rule that no girls were allowed in the cabin, and I guess it kind of stuck. At least when all of us go together." 

Jeno nodded his head in understanding. It sounded nice, and he could actually relate to that, since he and his friends had those kinds of gatherings as well from time to time. 

"Well yeah, and also, later, when a few of us got girlfriends, it also became about not wanting any distractions," Jaemin added with a small smile. 

"Which doesn't really make sense when you think about it, considering Mark and Donghyuck have each other, and well, now…" Renjun trailed off abruptly, picking up his phone again, signalizing he was done talking. 

They have all gone quiet again, and Jeno frowned, wondering what Renjun was talking about. When he turned to Jaemin, he found the other looking at his phone somehow awkwardly. Jeno's frown deepened. Renjun couldn't have meant anything about him, right? Before he had more time to think about it, the front door opened, and Taeyong slid into his seat, throwing a bag at Jaemin when he sat down. 

"They didn't have those with bacon, so I just bought regular ones." 

"Huh?" Jaemin asked, looking from Taeyong to the bag confusedly.

"The chips you asked for," Taeyong said, rolling his eyes fondly. "Everyone ready?" 

After a few noncommittal grunts, the car started moving again, and Jeno turned to look at Jaemin. He was looking through the window and seemed lost in his thoughts, making Jeno wonder what he was thinking about.

Jaemin was an open and direct person, possibly the most out of everyone Jeno knew, and that just made Jeno wonder about what was going through his head even more whenever he got quiet like this. Jaemin must have felt his eyes on him, since he turned around, smiling at Jeno briefly, before turning to the window again. Well, Jeno would just have to find something to occupy himself with since Jaemin clearly wanted his alone time. He sighed, turning to look through the window on his side of the car. 

A little more than two hours after the stop, they finally arrived to their destination. While Taeyong was giving Jaemin a similar speech Ten gave him that morning, Jeno took his time to look around. The cabin was located in the middle of the forest, it seemed like. It was bigger than Jeno expected, since, for some reason, he expected a small wooden cabin with only one room inside. Which, when he thought about it, didn't really make sense, considering the size of Jaemin’s house. Instead, the cabin had two floors and the front wall was made out of glass, making it look pretty fancy. 

"Alright, I'm leaving now. Have fun and be careful."

Renjun and Jeno said bye to Taeyong as well, and then he was gone.

"This place looks amazing," Jeno said honestly, still unable to look away from the cabin. 

"Thanks. At first I was sceptical about the glass wall, but then my mom told me that the first house was practically miles from here, and that there was no way of getting to the cabin unless you knew the way. There are also curtains so don't worry."

Jeno nodded, thinking Jaemin’s words over. He did feel kind of relieved no one lived near, since the whole interior was pretty much visible because of the glass wall. The curtains helped a lot, too, since Jeno was sure he wouldn't be able to fall asleep with a view of the dark forest in front of him. 

The interior of the cabin was even more impressive, Jeno found out when they stepped inside. It was furnished in a modern style, and although Jeno really didn't know much about design and things like that, he could tell that the place was very well decorated. 

They decided to wait for the others to show before doing anything, so the next hour or so was spent just lazing around on their phones. Jeno texted Ten as soon as they arrived, to which the other answered with a bunch of heart emojis. And even though Jeno hated whenever Ten went full on smothering mother mode, which happened every so often when he felt overprotective of Jeno, he couldn't help but smile upon seeing the messages. 

Jaemin seemed to be oblivious to the awkward situation between Jeno and Renjun, and constantly started conversations which involved both of them. Renjun surprisingly acted civil, but every now and then, he would throw a glare in Jeno's direction, reminding him he still didn't like him. 

After the rest showed up, Jaemin spent a good thirty minutes lecturing them for not being there on time, before Chenle nudged his arm in, what he probably thought was a discreet way, and pointed at Mark and Donghyuck with his eyes nervously. That's when Jeno noticed the tired and awkward looks on both Mark and Donghyuck's faces, and concluded they probably got into a fight or something. Jaemin probably thought the same thing, because he stopped talking and finally left the poor boys alone. 

After that, they all gathered in the cabin's main room, relaxing for a moment while planning on what to do next. 

"You know the drill. There are three rooms. Everyone, choose what you want!"

"We're taking the big room," Chenle and Jisung said quickly, and practically at the same time.

They high-fived each other afterwards, making Jaemin roll his eyes fondly. Jeno watched the scene in amusement, deciding to just wait until everyone picked the room they wanted, since he didn't even know what rooms were there. Besides, he was fine with rooming with anyone except for Renjun, but he had a feeling he didn't exactly have to worry about the other picking him either.

"Alright, then I'll stay with Chenji in the big one," Renjun said, throwing his arms around the two boys in question. 

"Stop calling us that," Jisung whined while Chenle just laughed brightly.

"Sungie, we've been through this," Jaemin started with sickenly sweet voice, grabbing Jisung in a tight looking hug. "It's easier to call you guys Chenji since you're basically inseparable. And it's also very cute."

Jisung whined again, pushing Jaemin away from him weakly. Jaemin just smiled and stayed where he was. The four boys left exchanged glances, and Jeno couldn't help but notice how Mark and Donghyuck avoided each other's glances rather awkwardly. He caught Jaemin’s eyes, and the other pointed at Mark with his eyes, seemingly trying to tell him something. 

"Hey, do you wanna room with me?" he ended up asking Mark awkwardly, after concluding that was probably what Jaemin was trying to tell him. 

The other beamed at him upon hearing the question, throwing him a quick high-five. 

"Yeah, man, sure."

He caught Jaemin’s eyes again, and the other quickly mouthed a thank you at him. Jeno just smiled back, shaking his head. He didn't mind being roommates with Mark, actually even preferring that arrangement, along with the one where he would room with Jaemin, of course. 

After they put their things in their respective rooms, it was already time for dinner, and the seven boys all gathered in the living room, eating the dinner Renjun and Jaemin made for everyone. 

"Alright, so what's the plan for tonight?" Chenle asked through a mouthful of his noodles.

"There's no plan," Jaemin said back. "We do what we usually do. It's already too late to go wandering outside. Unless someone wants to go to the woods at this time. In that case, be my guest."

"Oh hell no!" Donghyuck yelled, looking at the woods through the glass wall with big eyes. "Never again."

"I still can't believe you actually went through with that dare," Renjun said, chuckling at the other's expression. 

"What can I say, I'm a man of his word."

"Yeah, right," Renjun snorted. "What about that time you-"

They continued bickering like that, and Jeno tuned them out, in favor of concentrating on his food. He found that they did this a lot. Bickered like this. Which was understandable, really, especially since his friend group was practically the same. Either way, Jeno usually stayed out of it, since he didn't really know them all that well to tease them or bicker with them. 

"Hey, I know. Why don't we make a campfire in front of the house and hang there for tonight?" Jisung asked suddenly, eyeing the front of the house curiously. 

"Oh, I like that idea," Jaemin said excitedly and everyone agreed. 

About an hour later, everyone started preparing things for the night. They decided to save most of the liquor for tomorrow night, since they'll be waiting for Jaemin's birthday, and just chill for the night with a couple of beers. 

Jeno ended up making a campfire in front of the cabin, since he had been a boy scout when he was younger, something he was pretty embarrassed to admit. But, the rest seemed pretty impressed by that fact and his fire-making skills, so it all worked out in the end. 

After they were done with all of the preparations, they all sat around the fire in a circle. It was a slightly chilly night for this time of the year, so the fire fit into the picture perfectly.

The atmosphere was very peaceful and light. They talked about everything and joked around, and Jeno was surprised by how well he already got along with them. Well, most of them. Renjun wasn't really mean to him, which Jeno greatly appreciated, but that basically meant that he kept ignoring him the whole night. Still, Jeno definitely preferred that to the glares.

"Let's play a game!" Chenle suddenly exclaimed, making everyone turn to look at him and a few people groan. 

"We do that every time," Donghyuck whined, rolling his eyes dramatically.

"And we're gonna do it now, too. Who's in?"

Surprisingly, even though the majority of the boys groaned in annoyance when Chenle mentioned playing a game, most of them raised their hands, including Donghyuck. 

"What, I never said I didn't want to play," he shrugged when they all turned to look at him incredulously. 

They started playing some drinking game on Chenle's phone that was basically just truth or dare but with already written dares. 

"Tell an embarrassing story about someone here," Chenle read from the screen and broke down into a fit of laughter a second after he finished, eyeing Jisung teasingly. 

"No, no," Jisung pleaded with big eyes, moving towards Chenle to try to put his hands over his mouth. 

"C'mon, it's cute," Chenle said after he calmed down a little, managing to dodge every one of Jisung's attempts to shut him up. "But I won't say if you really don't want to."

Jisung just sighed, motioning for Chenle to speak with his hand, and then burying his face in his hands in embarrassment. 

"Okay, so Jisung has had a crush on this girl from his class, Yuna, for like months now," Chenle started excitedly, while everyone stayed quiet to hear Jisung's embarrassing story. Jeno felt bad for the boy, but was more curious about the story if he was being honest. 

"So, one day, I convince him to ask her out, and he actually says he will. So, I walk him to his class for moral support, and to, of course, see the whole thing myself, and that's when the disaster begins. He even bought her a flower, and dressed up nicely for the occasion. So, he finally spots her, and starts walking to her, all awkward of course-"

"Hey!" Jisung protested from where he still had his face in his hands. 

"Shut up, it's your charm," Chenle said, rolling his eyes at the other. "Anyways, he finally starts walking to her, and in that moment their teacher walks in hurriedly, and he crashes into her, making both of them fall to the floor. At this point, everyone is looking at them, trying hard, but failing to stifle their laughter, except for me of course, I wasn't even trying. So, in the end, Jisung ends up helping his teacher up and hands her the flower, running to his seat immediately after that."

It all went to chaos after that, really. Everyone burst out laughing, Donghyuck practically falling over Mark from the force of his laughter, the latter barely managing to keep him in place with his own laughter. Jisung just whined, looking as red as a tomato, and Jeno would feel really bad for him, if he wasn't dying of laughter himself. Jaemin draped himself over Jisung, cooing at the younger loudly, probably making him feel even more embarrassed in the process. 

"I don't know why I did it, okay. I just panicked," Jisung whined after they all managed to calm down. 

"You're fine. I told you I think she thought it was cute," Chenle said, looking at Jisung reassuringly. 

Jisung just mumbled something incoherent, making Jaemin hug him again. Jeno smiled at the sight. It was nice seeing Jaemin with his friends like this, in a relaxed atmosphere. He also found that he really liked Jaemin's friends, and felt very relaxed around them. 

"Hey, how did you guys all meet?" Jeno asked suddenly, realizing Jaemin never really told him. He knew they were all different ages, and he wondered how they all got together. 

"Oh, well the three of us met in elementary school," Renjun said with a small smile, motioning to Jaemin and Donghyuck with his hand. "First day of school actually. We were all in the same class."

Jeno smiled, thinking about the three boys in their first grade. It was funny imagining Donghyuck as a little kid, with his natural hair color and probably chubby cheeks. Or Renjun. Jeno just really couldn't imagine him as a kid. He has seen Jaemin’s pictures from when he was younger, and he had to admit the other was a pretty cute looking kid.

"And Mark is Donghyuck's childhood friend, they live next door, and were inseparable even then," Jaemin added, throwing a pointed look at both Mark and Donghyuck, who just avoided his eyes awkwardly. "So we all met him pretty quickly. And then when we were in second grade, Chenle came to the picture as Mark's younger brother, since he just started school then. And the year after, he brought a confused, little baby chick-"

"Oh, come on," Jisung groaned, throwing a burnt marshmallow at Jaemin, who just snickered loudly, blowing him a kiss. 

"And how did you two meet?" Jeno asked, looking at Chenle and Jisung curiously. "Jisung is a year younger, right?"

"Yeah, but Jisung started school a year early, since he's born in February. We weren't in the same class, but we had PE together one time, and I accidentally hit Jisung with a ball. From that day we've been best friends." Chenle said proudly, his expression like he was telling the nicest story ever. 

"Wow, you've all known each other for a long time. That's so nice," Jeno commented with a smile. He could definitely see it, in the way they all seemed to know each other so well, and how comfortable they all seemed with each other. 

"What about your friends?" Renjun asked suddenly, looking at the ground in front of himself instead of Jeno. "How did you guys meet?" 

Jeno was surprised for a moment, since he didn't expect Renjun to ask him anything really. But, he quickly recovered and started talking. 

"Lucas and I've known each other since we were kids, and we met the others in high school actually."

Renjun nodded his head slowly, and then turned to Jeno and gave him a small smile. Jeno just sat there and gaped at him silently. What was happening? 

"They're really cool. We should all hang out again sometime," Renjun said in the end, finally looking away from Jeno. 

Jeno released a breath he didn't know he was holding. Well, that was unexpected. He smiled to himself, feeling way happier than he should after a simple interaction like that one. 

"I agree. I haven't seen them in so long," Jaemin pouted, drawing Jeno's attention to himself, and making him laugh. 

"I'll tell them. Even though you saw them a few days ago," Jeno laughed, looking at Jaemin pointedly. "But, they'll be happy to hang out, since we all just play games and watch TV all day either way."

Jaemin just hit his hand playfully, so Jeno offered him a done marshmallow from his stick as a peace offering. Jaemin looked surprised for a second, but then smiled and took the marshmallow from the stick with his mouth.

"Get a room," Renjun mumbled, loud enough for everyone to hear him. 

Jeno just laughed, while Jaemin fixed Renjun with a glare. Jeno briefly thought how he probably would have minded the comment a few days ago, and felt proud of himself for just taking it as a joke. Well, it could also be the few beers he had, but whatever. 

The rest of the evening went by in a similar manner. They were all just talking and bickering among themselves, and Jeno found that he was having a really nice time. 

At one point, he felt his eyes starting to get heavy, but he couldn't really get himself to move. He didn't even know what time it was, or how long they've been sitting there, but he was starting to get really tired. He was probably exhausted from the trip, even though it was a short one. But, he was too used to doing nothing ever since his cram school ended, so it was probably that. Also, the three beers he had probably didn't help, either. 

"I think that's it for Mark," Chenle said suddenly, laughing loudly, and making everyone turn to look at Mark, who just giggled at the attention.

"Mark, I knew you were a lightweight, but seriously? Two beers?" Renjun asked, shaking his head in mock disappointment. 

"C'mon guys, I'm not drunk. I'm just happy."

Then he started to get up, and almost fell in the process. Being seated next to him, Jeno quickly reached towards him to keep him in place.

"Alright, who's gonna take Mark upstairs?" Chenle asked, then immediately yelled. "Not it!" 

"I can take him," Jeno offered. "I'm pretty tired too actually." 

Jeno jumped at the opportunity to go to bed himself, feeling like if he stayed there a little more, he actually wouldn't be able to move later. He looked around the circle to see if everyone was fine with that. He caught Donghyuck looking at him with an expression he couldn't really decipher. He frowned, wondering what that was all about. Mark just laughed and leaned further into Jeno's side, making him stumble upon the added weight.

"Alright if you're sure, then see you two tomorrow," Jaemin said, smiling at Jeno gratefully. 

Jeno managed to get Mark into bed after what was probably an hour long argument. Mark kept whining how he didn't want to sleep, and how the night was just beginning, even though it was already three in the morning by the time the two of them managed to get upstairs. Jeno didn't even want to check the time now, feeling like he wouldn't like the answer. 

"Can I tell you a secret?" Mark whispered after a good fifteen minutes of silence, during which Jeno hoped Mark finally fell asleep. Of course, he wasn't that lucky.

At this point, he even heard some footsteps and hushed voices outside of the room, meaning even the rest of the boys got ready to sleep. And to think Jeno thought he would go to sleep earlier if he went with Mark. Maybe he could pretend he was asleep.

But, in the end, Jeno just sighed, turning towards Mark's bed, even though he couldn't see him that well in the dark. He cursed himself for being so damn nice all of the time. 

"Sure."

"I think I'm in love with Donghyuck," Mark giggled, then stopped abruptly and took a deep breath. "No, I know I am." 

"Oh."

Jeno couldn't exactly say he was expecting this, so he didn't really know how to react to Mark's sudden confession. 

"But I'm a coward. Yeah, a big coward. He gave me-" Mark stopped in the middle of the sentence, seemingly forgetting what he wanted to say. "He was always so open and free, ever since we were kids, and he was always the best. And I know I should have… But I'm a coward. And an idiot. And now that gorgeous jerk is in the picture, with his big lips and-"

Jeno had to stop him from rambling, mostly because he didn't want Mark to put himself down like that, but also since he had no idea what the other was talking about anymore. 

"Hey, hey, don't say that. Obviously I don't really know your story, but don't-"

He started, only to get cut off by Mark. 

"I know, that's why I just told you everything," Mark said, having the decency to sound annoyed after the mess of a story he just delivered.

Jeno just sighed, trying so hard to find the strength to not snap at Mark.

"You did, yes. As I was saying, don't be too hard on yourself. Besides, it's never too late. You can always tell him how you feel." 

"Yo, do you think I should?" Mark asked, sounding like that never even crossed his mind before Jeno suggested it. 

"Well, if you're sure of your feelings, and if you want to tell him, then what's stopping you?" 

"I am sure."

For the first time since they entered the room tonight, Mark's words came out sounding stern and confident. Jeno smiled to himself, his need to sleep long forgotten in favor of helping his new friend. In the end, he was glad Mark trusted him enough to share something like this with him, and even ask for help and listen to his advice. Not that Jeno thought he would actually take it, even though he really hoped he would, but anyway, it was nice. 

"I'll do it! Thanks man, good night!" Mark exclaimed happily, and turned around, even starting to snore less than a minute later.

Jeno just stared at his siluete in shock. He couldn't believe Mark just opened up to him like that, managed to make him as awake as possible, only to fall asleep a second later. Jeno turned in his bed, trying so hard to finally fall asleep, but nothing. Oh, he was so killing both him and Donghyuck tomorrow. 

*

The next morning, Jeno woke up to the sound of loud banging coming from somewhere downstairs. He was feeling tired and exhausted and he had only one person to blame. Mark, on the other hand, was still peacefully asleep in his bed. Jeno glared at him even though he knew the other couldn't even see it, and got up from his bed lazily. He knew there was no use in trying to fall asleep again. 

He got into the kitchen, where the voices and the banging were coming from, and saw Jaemin, Donghyuck and Chenle talking and laughing loudly. After inspecting the situation, he realized that the banging was in fact, Donghyuck who was pounding some meat with a meat mallet with a lot more force than necessary.

Jeno quickly looked away, not wanting to even question what that was all about. Jaemin smiled at him apologetically as soon as their eyes met. He returned the smile as best as he could and walked up to the sink to grab a glass of water. 

"Hey, how did you sleep?"

"Awful, Mark kept me up all night talking," Jeno groaned, taking a seat next to Chenle and reaching for his glass of water.

He caught Donghyuck's eye across the table and almost choked on his water from the intensity of his stare. There was no way he was jealous, right? He smiled at Donghyuck awkwardly, and the other just proceeded to hit the meat even harder, looking at Jeno the entire time. God, Jeno was going to lose his mind with those two. 

"Would you stop with the banging?" Renjun asked as soon as he stepped into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"What? It's for our lunch," Donghyuck shrugged innocently, even though you could tell he knew he was annoying from the look in his eyes. 

"I swear to god I'm gonna kill both of you," Renjun groaned and fell into a seat next to Jeno ungracefully. For the first time since he met him, Jeno agreed with Renjun. 

After they all had breakfast and got ready, they decided to go explore the woods since the weather was much nicer than yesterday. Chenle and Renjun stayed behind, saying they were still tired from last night, and wanted to rest by the pool. Since the others came here pretty often as kids, they knew their way around the forest very well. So, in the end, they just spent time showing Jeno all the cool places they found over the years. 

Mark pulled him aside at one point, asking him what happened last night, saying he doesn't really remember anything after Jeno took him to their room. The way he was looking at Jeno told him that was a lie, but Jeno decided to keep his mouth shut. He just smiled at Mark knowingly, telling him everything was fine, and that he's sure he will remember eventually.

Mark blushed, mumbling an apology and excusing himself immediately after. Jeno just laughed, rolling his eyes at Jaemin who stood with Donghyuck and watched the interaction curiously. Donghyuck, on the other hand, wasn't as curious, but Jeno didn't want to think about Donghyuck and his cold stare. He just hoped this thing between him and Mark would settle before Donghyuck literally murdered him.

For lunch they decided on having an outside barbecue they all participated in making. Well, everyone except for Jisung and Mark, who managed to ruin a portion of meat before even putting it on the grill by dropping it in the puddle of mud. Needless to say, they were banned from the food making area. 

For the rest of the day, they all lazed around by the pool. Jeno was glad he has finally gotten out of town, since he didn't have a chance to go with his friends. Of course, this was no China, but it was still a change of scenery, and Jeno found that he really needed it. 

The night came quickly, and with it an awful storm, making them stuck inside for the night. The rain kept hitting the roof, making a pleasant sound in the process. In a way, Jeno was actually pretty glad for the weather, since it made the atmosphere more intimate. 

"Alright, what do we have?" Renjun asked, eyeing the table in front of himself. 

They all gathered in the kitchen in front of the table that now consisted of everything alcoholic each one of them brought with themselves. Which was, admittedly, a lot. Jeno really didn't know how they were going to drink all of that. He certainly hoped they wouldn't. 

"I brought vodka and whiskey," Jeno started, motioning to the two bottles in question. 

"Oh, we're not classy enough for that," Donghyuck snorted, moving the whiskey bottle out of the way.

"I agree," Renjun mumbled. 

Great, now he had two people that hated him. 

"Chenji is allowed two drinks each. It's everyone's duty to keep an eye on them," Jaemin announced with a serious expression. 

"I'm a year older than Jisung, you can't apply the same rules to us."

"It's only two months," Jisung protested. 

"You're not having more than two drinks," Mark said, looking at Chenle with a stern expression.

"I can handle it better than you," Chenle said, rolling his eyes at his brother.

Jeno just watched the situation in amusement, suddenly reminded of all the times he and Lucas were in Jisung and Chenle's place with Ten and his friends limiting the amount of alcohol they could have. He chuckled, glad that period of his life was over. Ten always caved in in the end, and just let Jeno do what he wanted, but, still, it was nice not having anyone breathing down your neck the entire night.

After settling on three drinks for Chenle and Jisung, they all sat in the living room with drinks in their hands. The night was going pretty peacefully in the begging. Jeno was talking to Chenle and Jisung about the music they were currently interested in, sipping on his drink slowly, when Donghyuck's loud voice brought everyone's attention. 

"Hey, did we open that bottle of wine? I don't want to drink that much tonight," Donghyuck asked loudly, looking in the direction of the kitchen, where the alcohol was.

"I'll get it."

Mark was already on his feet and on his way to the kitchen. Everyone watched the situation curiously, since Mark and Donghyuck hadn't really interacted since they came here. Mark got back with a bottle and an opener in his hands, and got to work wordlessly. Donghyuck just mumbled a quiet thanks, looking at his phone, even though the screen was black. 

"Mark, you'll end up breaking the bottle. Just let Renjun do it," Jaemin said after almost ten minutes of Mark struggling to open the bottle. Mark just ignored his words, and kept trying to get the opener to work, applying even more strength to what he was doing. 

"Mark really, leave it. You clearly don't know how to do it," Donghyuck said, looking at Mark with an unimpressed expression. 

"Oh, does Hyunjin know how to maybe? Guy looks like he can't even open a can of beer," Mark snorted loudly, the bottle in his hand forgotten in favor of glaring at Donghyuck. 

"Well at least he's capable of sharing his emotions, unlike some people," Donghyuck said bitterly, narrowing his eyes at Mark. 

Mark just stared at him wide-eyed for a few seconds, while everyone else stayed quiet and watched the situation in front of themselves intently. Then Mark's eyes met Jeno's briefly, and Jeno could clearly see the fear and insecurity in them. So, he smiled at Mark reassuringly, hoping that he would finally get the courage Jeno knew he had. Mark nodded, probably more to himself than Jeno, and suddenly got up from his seat and started walking towards the front door. 

"Come on," he said to Donghyuck once he passed him, not stopping in his tracks. 

Donghyuck just stared wide-eyed after him, before getting to his senses, and following Mark outside. He closed the door behind them, and then they were gone. 

The rest of the boys all sat in a complete silence, looking after the two, until Renjun broke the silence. 

"What just happened?"

It all went out of control after that. In one moment, they were all sitting and talking calmly, and in the next Jaemin was, for some reason, chasing Jisung all over the house, while Chenle was trying to teach Jeno the dance moves to some song Jeno didn't even know. Renjun, on the other hand, was pacing through the room while being on FaceTime with some girl Jeno assumed was his girlfriend. 

"You know I love you so much, right? No, I really-" 

He was yelling into the phone loudly, while the girl just laughed in response. Jeno tried to focus on what Chenle was telling him, but it was impossible over Renjun's loud voice. 

"Alright Jun, I love you, too. I'm going to sleep now, say hi to everyone there. See you tomorrow," came the muffled voice from his phone, and then Renjun put his phone down, meaning she has probably hung up on him. 

To Jeno's horror, the second he finished the call, Renjun started moving towards him and Chenle slowly. Jeno watched in shock as he stood right in front of Jeno and stared at him with a look Jeno didn't know the meaning of. 

"You know you're actually a really good person," Renjun then said, well, more like slurred. "I'm probably not gonna say this again tomorrow, but I'm sorry. I was rude. You didn't really deserve it. You're just so nice." 

Jeno stood there silently, looking at Renjun in shock, while Chenle laughed beside him. He knew the other was drunk, but he still wasn't really expecting this either. After what was probably a minute of just staring, Jeno finally forced himself to say something. 

"It's fine, Renjun," he said weakly, smiling at the other awkwardly. 

"No, but do you forgive me?" Renjun insisted, probably thinking he was looking at Jeno, when in reality he was just looking somewhere next to him.

"I do, I promise," Jeno laughed, patting Renjun on the back awkwardly.

Renjun just shook his head and looked at Jeno with a look he didn't trust. A second later, he felt Renjun's hands wrap around him as the other enveloped him in a hug. Jeno shifted uncomfortably, not knowing exactly what to do. After realizing Renjun wasn't going to let him go until he did something, he weakly hugged him back, just wanting the entire thing to be over. 

Luckily, Renjun let him go soon, but only after making him promise they'll talk tomorrow. Jeno doubted Renjun would want to talk tomorrow, so he promised him easily. Chenle busted into laughter the second Renjun was gone making Jeno glare at him.

At one point, Mark and Donghyuck got back after being outside for who knows how long. And even though they wouldn't say anything, they were both smiling from ear to ear, giving everyone the answer they needed. 

Soon enough, it was close to midnight, and Chenle and Jisung were bringing out the cake Chenle and Renjun made that morning, while everyone else was out in the woods. Renjun insisted on bringing it himself, but no one really trusted him since he couldn't even walk a straight line without a cake in his hands. Either way, Jaemin’s eyes became suspiciously wet while he was thanking them, but no one mentioned it. 

After the clock hit twelve, and they all sang a song and congratulated Jaemin, they brought their presents out. For some reason, Jeno felt nervous about Jaemin seeing his present. He got it a few days ago, and was sure the other would like it, but he was still nervous to actually give it to him. 

"God, I feel like I'm eight," Jaemin laughed.

Jeno laughed at the sight. Jaemin did kind of look like a kid, sitting there with all those presents around himself, smiling from ear to ear. 

"C'mon. Just open them!" Donghyuck yelled from where he was seated on the floor, sitting between Mark's legs.

Jeno caught Mark's eyes and winked at him, making the other blush and avert his gaze a second after. Jeno just laughed, shifting his attention back to Jaemin.

He opened the presents one by one, squealing excitedly after opening each one. Jeno watched him with a smile, just glad to see the other so happy.

His present ended up being the last, and Jeno was feeling even more nervous now that it was actually his turn. He put the envelope in Jaemin’s hands and sat down again, feeling awkward with everyone's eyes on him. 

"Oh my god! Jeno you didn't," Jaemin practically screamed, and Jeno smiled at the sight. 

And even though he knew Jaemin would like the present, he still felt relieved upon seeing his reaction. Jaemin jumped up from his seat and launched himself at Jeno, hugging him tightly. Jeno laughed as he returned the hug, forgetting about everyone's eyes on them for a moment. 

"What is it?" he heard Donghyuck ask. 

Jaemin went back to his place, and Donghyuck leaned over him to take a glance of what was in Jaemin’s hands. 

"You got him EXO tickets?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. 

"That's it. Jeno beat us all," Jisung laughed, lifting his hands in the air in mock surrender. 

Jeno just laughed in response, not knowing how to answer that, while Jaemin ignored them all in favor of staring at the tickets like he still couldn't believe they're real. 

"And it's next week? I can't believe it! I didn't even know they had a concert soon."

"One of my friends mentioned it the other day actually, and I immediately thought of you," Jeno smiled, remembering the talk they had at Jaemin’s party, and how long Jaemin ended up talking about his favourite band. 

"Wow," Chenle whistled, making Jeno turn his attention to the others. 

Upon seeing everyone's eyes on him, Jeno laughed nervously, averting his eyes to the floor. Suddenly, he felt nervous again, only for a different reason. 

"I love it so much, thank you," Jaemin said in the end, looking at Jeno like he hung the moon. 

Jeno smiled back at him, concluding his gift was a success. He briefly wondered if he went overboard judging by everyone's reaction, but he decided that he didn't really care, as long as it made Jaemin this happy. 

The night went by pretty fast after that, and suddenly, the two glasses of whiskey Jeno had, turned into six, and he was feeling better than he had in a long time. And judging by the looks of others, he wasn't the only one. Renjun was hugging Jaemin and Donghyuck yelling something about them being his favorite people in the world, while Jisung and Chenle typed something on a phone, practically dying of laughter the entire time. Jaemin wasn't doing any better, since Jeno was pretty sure he was just taking his ninth shot of tequila, and it was certainly showing in the way he stumbled while walking. 

The only normal looking ones were Mark and Donghyuck, who Jeno remembered saying something like wanting to be sober for when they had the talk, whatever that meant. At some point Donghyuck came to him and attacked him with hugs, apologizing and thanking him repeatedly. Jeno just laughed, concluding it had something to do with the talk he had with Mark the night before. He was just glad the two managed to get themselves together. 

After some time, even the rain stopped, and Jeno felt a strong urge to go outside and breathe in the post-rain air. He always loved the way everything smelled after rain, clean and fresh. 

"Wanna go for a walk? The rain stopped," he asked Jaemin when he found him in the kitchen, taking another shot of tequila. 

"Alright, sure," Jaemin laughed after a few seconds of processing what Jeno was saying. "Let me just ask if anyone wants to come with."

Before he could move, Jeno grabbed his arm, surprising both Jaemin and himself.

"I meant just us," Jeno said before he could even stop himself.

Jaemin looked at him for a few seconds, looking more confused than anything, before breaking into a big smile.

"Oh, did someone miss me?" he asked mockingly. 

"Yes," Jeno dead-panned, feeling pretty bold with the alcohol in his system. Besides, he really did miss being alone with Jaemin, why would he lie to him. 

"God, I love drunk Jeno," Jaemin sighed, grabbing his jacket and opening the door

As soon as Jeno stepped outside, he was met with a wave of chilly air. Jeno took a deep breath, happy to be outside. He put on a jacket Jaemin handed him, since it was still pretty cold for his t-shirt. 

"I'm not drunk," Jeno protested, but for some reason, he couldn't stop smiling.

"Right, me neither," Jaemin laughed.

They started walking in slow pace, lighting up the road in front of them with their phone's flashlights. Despite it being almost too dark to see anything, and pretty cold out, Jeno enjoyed the change. 

"So, how do you feel now that you're eighteen?"

"Oh, like a new person, really. I already feel the difference. I'm so happy I can drink now, too." 

Jeno just laughed, accidentally tripping over some rocks on the road, and barely managing to keep himself up. He just laughed harder after that, turning to look at Jaemin and founding him already looking at him, with a small smile on his face. 

"What?" he asked when Jaemin still didn't look away. 

"Nothing," Jaemin mumbled, slowly shifting his gaze away from Jeno, a small smile still on his face. 

They continued walking in a comfortable silence after that, occasionally pushing each other to the side lightly. Jeno couldn't stop laughing for three minutes when Jaemin almost fell into a giant puddle after Jeno pushed him, although he still held onto him so he wouldn't actually fall. 

When they came across a bench that looked relatively dry due to a big tree that sheltered it, Jaemin motioned towards it with his hand. They sat down, and stayed quiet for a while, probably each lost in their own thoughts. After a few seconds, Jaemin let out a content sigh and leaned his head on Jeno's shoulder. 

Before he could even think about it, Jeno took Jaemin’s hand in his and started playing with his fingers absent-mindedly. He didn't even know why he did it, probably just wanting something to occupy his hands with. But in a moment, the mood shifted in a way he couldn't really describe. He turned to look at Jaemin, and the other lifted his head from Jeno's shoulder, looking at him with that expression Jeno could never decipher. They looked away at the same time. 

Jeno slowly let go of Jaemin’s hand, in the favor of taking his pack from his pocket, happy he remembered to put it there before they left. He lit up a cigarette, needing something to distract himself with. He didn't know how the mood switched so quickly, and he felt suffocated with the tension. As usual, the smoke didn't really do much to ease his nerves. 

"When did you start smoking?" Jaemin asked suddenly, and when he turned to look at him, Jeno found his eyes on his lips, where his cigarette had just been. 

Jeno thought about the question briefly. He couldn't really remember the exact moment he started smoking, but he knew it was around the time he broke up with Yeeun. 

"Not that long ago, why?"

"No reason," Jaemin hummed dismissively.

"I don't smoke that much. Usually only when I drink, or when I'm nervous or stressed," Jeno explained, even though Jaemin didn't really ask for an explanation.

It wasn't like he felt the need to justify his smoking habits, but it was just that he kept smoking every time he was with Jaemin, and he didn't want the other to think that he always smoked that much for some reason. 

"Well, you're not drinking now," Jaemin whispered, looking away from Jeno.

Jeno gulped, suddenly having trouble focusing on what Jaemin was saying. After a few seconds of silence, Jaemin looked at him again. Jeno couldn't really read his expression, and that only made him more nervous. 

"What?" Jeno asked dumbly, not knowing what else to say.

"Are you nervous now?" Jaemin asked, tilting his head to the side, still looking at Jeno with that look. 

They were close, too close, and Jeno could see every line of Jaemin's face clearly, even with how dark it was outside. Abruptly, Jeno realized that there was no in between with Jaemin. Either he was clearly uncomfortable around Jeno and avoiding being close to him in any way, or he was just too close, like right now. Jeno would like to think that he regretted telling Jaemin not to be so restrained around him, but the truth was, he really didn't. 

"I don't know," he answered honestly, still unable to look away.

Something flashed in Jaemin’s eyes and he looked away, staring in front of them, where the forest got lost in the dark. It was like he broke the spell when he looked away, making Jeno come to his senses and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. 

"God, I knew we shouldn't hang out by ourselves when we're drunk," Jaemin laughed, but at the same time he sounded somewhat serious.

"That seems like a healthy friendship," Jeno snorted, suddenly finding the whole situation funny. 

Jaemin just fixed him with a look he couldn't really read. It was something between regret and guilt, with a trace of something else Jeno didn't want to acknowledge. 

"It's not," he said in the end, averting his eyes to the ground.

Suddenly, the situation wasn't all that funny to Jeno. It got quiet after that, the only sound being the thunder from far away. He looked away, eyeing the forest in front of them, like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"We should get going," Jaemin said quietly after a while, getting up slowly. Jeno only nodded and followed him. 

They were still walking back when Jeno checked his phone, after not looking at it for the entire night. First, he was shocked to see it was already past five in the morning. Then, he saw he had four messages and two missed calls from Mark. 

From: Mark

03:24  
Hey, is it okay if Hyuck stayed in our room for tonight?  
You can sleep in Jaemin’s room

04:02  
Okay, since you're not answering Hyuck already fell asleep here  
I'm sorry

Jeno gulped and shut his screen hurriedly, closing his eyes for a second in order to gather his thoughts.

"Hey, Mark said he and Donghyuck are staying in our room. Is it okay to sleep in yours for tonight?" Jeno asked, turning to look at Jaemin apologetically, even though it wasn't really his fault. 

"I expected it actually," Jaemin sighed. "I just don't know why the idiots didn't take our room. But, I could sleep in the living room if you want?" 

"Why would you sleep in the living room?" Jeno asked with a frown. 

"There's only one bed in my room. It's big, but still…" he trailed off, inspecting Jeno's face carefully. 

"It's fine. If you and Hyuck stayed there, so can we."

Jeno surprised himself with how determined he sounded. He knew it was more to convince himself, than Jaemin. It was like he wanted to prove to himself that he was fine with it. Jaemin just nodded slowly, and they continued walking. They didn't say anything else for the rest of their way back. 

As it turned out, the bed was pretty big, and Jeno really didn't see a problem with sharing it with Jaemin. It wasn't the first time he was sharing a bed with one of his friends, so it really wasn't a big deal. Admittedly, not one of his friends moved as much as Jaemin in their sleep. But it was fine, Jeno was actually exhausted and felt like he could fall asleep at any moment by the time Jaemin’s breathing finally evened out, signalizing he was already asleep. 

Just as he was about to close his eyes and finally try to fall asleep, Jeno felt a hand wrap around his body, and froze instantly. He slowly turned to the side, only to confirm that Jaemin, in fact, had his arm wrapped tightly around his body, going as far as tucking into his side. Jeno felt his heart speed up in his chest.

He took a few calming breaths, trying to get himself to relax. Apparently, Jaemin also had a habit of cuddling in his sleep. That, Jeno really wasn't used to with his friends, but he tried to convince himself that it didn't matter. Jaemin probably did it with Donghyuck too, so he tried not to make a big deal out of it.

After he calmed down a little bit, he turned to look at Jaemin, whose face was now practically inches from Jeno's own. He stared at his relaxed face for a while, for some reason unable to look away. He found himself mesmerized by the calm look on Jaemin’s face, and he relaxed completely. Finally, he closed his eyes and felt the sleep slowly coming to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just quiet down you say too much


End file.
